Phoenix Rising
by JediC8H10N4O2
Summary: Something has gone horribly, horribly wrong. The Unspeakables in the Room Outside of Time have watched as the device recording history has continued to mark deviations from what should be. While they are rushing to try and discover what is going on before Time completely unravels, Phoenix Potter and her brother return to Hogwarts. After a basilisk, this year should be easy, right?
1. The Birthday

AN: The second book and year of my Phoenix Potter series. Please review, I'd appreciate feedback. :)

Disclaim: I was not the person who thought up Harry Potter, and do not own him or his world. Merely playing.

* * *

There is a room inside the Department of Mysteries that is very special. Very special. Not many people know about it, and of those who do, many do not know its actual purpose. The room is older than the Ministry itself. Many wizards and witches have no idea that that room was responsible for the creation of the Department of Mysteries. In fact, no one outside of that room has any idea of exactly why the Department of Mysteries had been started. The history books all claim different origins.

One book claimed that the second Minister of Magic had it created to control certain magics, like Necromancy, and many of the Darker Arts, so Dark that most modern magical societies no longer know of them. A different book claimed that the Department started as a research department for research the Ministry didn't want anyone to know they were working on. A third claimed that the Department actually controlled the government, and the rest of the ministry was merely a decoy.

The second theory was the most prevalent. Many wizards and witches wondered about the research that was going on in the Department. It was a popular thing to speculate about in groups. Anyone who actually worked in the Department were only allowed to smile and say 'no comment' if they were ever approached by anyone wanting to know.

But the real story was very different. Very different.

Time does not work in that room. Never had, never will. It is outside of Time's domain so that any attempts to change the path of Time can be stopped. There is a book in the room which knows the history of the whole world, and would activate when something major did not go the way it was suppose to. After that, the two Unspeakables in the room have a certain amount of time to act before Time completely unravels and the universe is destroyed.

Most often, the book was empty and silent. Not this past year, though. In the past year, many events had happened that weren't suppose to. The two Unspeakables in the Room were trying to figure out what event had changed the world. They weren't having much luck. They had the histories of three of the people mentioned in the book over the past year. Amity Fear, Ginevra Weasley, and Ronald Weasley were all easy to find information on. The two Weasleys' father was a member of the Ministry, and none of their history had been blocked or erased. Amity Fear, having spent some time getting schooling in muggle schools had been a little bit harder, but it was still possible to get. They had tentatively determined that Gilderoy Lockhart was not actually a player despite having been mentioned, as he was now suffering from amnesia and unlikely to interact with the world in a meaningful way again. That left the last two Potters: Harry and Phoenix.

They had been trying to get a hold of the histories of those two for the past year, and hadn't had any luck. Someone was blocking them in the Ministry, someone with a lot of power. They had their suspicions on who it was, but the other members of the Department hadn't made any inroads in getting the information they needed. So the information on the Potters was scarce. They had the the Potter history up until the family went into hiding, and some of their history at Hogwarts, but the two Unspeakables knew that they were getting doctored information. After all, the past year had seen the opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and not a single mention of that was in Hogwarts records. So, they were taking the information on the first year of Harry Potter with a grain of salt, and had someone on rumor patrol.

All of this was unfortunate, because the Unspeakables were almost positive that one of the Potters was involved in the origin point, the moment responsible for the divergence of Time, from what it should be, to what it was. The two Unspeakables were making as much progress as they could, but they spent most of their time watching the book, hoping and dreading that the quill would come to life.

They would not have to wait too much longer.

* * *

Time gave wizards a Room, and some token items to keep them happy and to stop them from messing with her. She allowed the wizards to 'invent' Time-Turners. There was a safety built into them, that the wizards themselves were unaware of. The only thing that one could do with a Time-Turner was what had already been done. The only problem is that there were a few people who were born with the ability to change Time. Her sister Fate had done that, in a fit of anger that Time had determined how everything would go, and did not give her much room to play.

Fate gifted a few people the ability to change Time every so often, in an attempt to recreate the world. If those people ever managed to succeed, Time would unravel, and Fate would be able to recreate the world the way she wanted it. It lead to a bitter rivalry between the two sisters, and to Time giving humans the Room she was not in. It was the only way Time was allowed to counteract Fate's activities.

For those few people, Time-Turners would not have that safety built in. Rather, it would be built in, but it wouldn't affect them. Which is how one of the Dark Lords the world doesn't remember managed to change the past.

Time was watching the world, knowing that another changer had been born into the world. She wanted to take her Time-Turners back, to prevent the changer from getting a hold of one. Unfortunately after something was given to humanity, it could not be taken back. Like fire, magic, and the ability to think. Time could only watch, and hope that those in her Room would be able to solve the mystery.

She watched as her right hand finished unraveling. They had time, but Time did not want to lose any more of herself than she needed to.

Her sister had never won yet.

* * *

Phoenix "Skazzy" Potter has a secret. Well, she has many secrets. She's a witch, sister to the boy-who-lived, and probably-almost-definitely addicted to dreamless sleep potions. That last one is the only one she's keeping from her brother, Harry.

The two of them are magic users, going to a school called Hogwarts, and in two different houses at the school. Skazzy in Hufflepuff, while Harry was in Gryffindor. It had surprised both of them when Skazzy was sorted, or it surprised Skazzy when she was sorted, and her brother when he heard about it after the fact. Last year he had kind of crashed a car into the Whomping Willow, which was not a good thing.

Skazzy was going into her second year, and Harry his third. And they had run into a slight problem: teachers like to assign homework, and their guardians liked to pretend magic (and they) doesn't exist. Harry had snuck into the cupboard under the stairs where their stuff had been shoved after they returned home, and brought the books up so that they could do their homework.

Skazzy had run into another problem: if she did her homework at night and took her potions, she'd sleep during the day. And she meant sleep as in no-one-can-wake-her-up. Which is suspicious considering she wasn't suppose to have anything on her that would be able to do that. So she was spending every other night doing her homework, and not taking the potion, and being careful to not wake her relatives up.

Now, normal people in Skazzy's situation, living with people who hate you, would probably not want to wake up people who would yell and scream. Not Skazzy. She was just being careful for her brother. She had faced down a basilisk at the end of the last school, and was alive. Not unharmed, but alive. But after that, and the realization that when Harry turned seventeen they could leave had given her some leverage with her uncle.

In the year that Harry went to Hogwarts and she started, _it_ happened. Skazzy doesn't like to think about _it_ , but seeing as she's still having nightmares, it's kind of hard not to. Her uncle is aware of _it._ And when she came home this summer, with one eye swollen shut and a puffy line down her face, he turned to yell at her, and stopped.

Skazzy wasn't completely stupid. Her relatives may hate her and her brother, but clearly they are trying to keep the two alive. After all, there was plenty of chances for the Dursleys to kill Skazzy and Harry, but they didn't. With the taste of freedom in her mouth, she realized that it didn't matter what the Dursleys did. Vernon Dursley was marked for death because of his knowledge of _it_. Her eye said it, and he saw it, and he had been avoiding her as much as he could ever since.

Course, her brother was trying to be nice, and not scare the nasty people, and work with their rules, because he didn't want to get in trouble. Skazzy behaved for him. And Uncle Vernon knew that. And he wasn't happy, but what could he do? Anything more that he did would simply come back to haunt him. And Vernon Dursley was not a completely stupid man.

Thus, why Hedwig the owl was allowed out instead of being locked in a cage. He claimed it was because she made more of a racket when stuck, but he gave in when Skazzy turned to face him. She never thought she'd be grateful to a basilisk but she was.

Skazzy was a Hufflepuff. To most people, that meant she was loyal and hardworking. People might have said nice for other Hufflepuffs, but she had gotten a bit of a reputation for not being personable. It didn't really bother her. At the end of last year, she had been bitten by a basilisk, which caused her left eye to cease functioning, and left a long scar down the left side of her face. She had another one on her chest where she had also been bitten, but that wasn't on display. Yeah, the scar was definitely helping with keeping people away and scaring her uncle. It was quite a sight, to see a girl with red hair, and one green eye, and one milky blue eye with a scar. Well, once her eye was not swollen, people would see the milky blue eye. She had checked in a mirror a few days after she got out of the hospital wing at school to see what her eye looked like.

And it was fun annoying her aunt and uncle because they had to explain where and how exactly their niece had gotten that nasty, nasty wound. They usually ended up changing the subject.

Tonight was a homework night. Harry was working on History of Magic, and Skazzy was working on Transfiguration, one of her weaker subjects. She was distracted from doodling in the side of the book by her brother stretching, and looking out the window. And diving out of the way. Three owls collapsed on the bed, and Skazzy recognized two.

"Errol's not dead, right?" she asked, slowly moving towards the owls.

"Doesn't seem to be," Harry answered, putting the owl in Hedwig's cage so he could recover. Skazzy glanced over at the clock.

"Oh, happy birthday. Didn't realize it was tomorrow yet," Skazzy said, giving her brother a quick one armed hug. "What did you get?"

"Give me a moment," Harry said, pulling the package Skazzy had reached for out of her hands. She pouted, but leaned against the wall. "Ron's family won a jackpot, they're in Egypt. Got me a sneakascope. Suppose to tell me when someone untrustworthy is around."

Harry set it up on his desk, where it remained still.

"Good to know we can trust each other," Skazzy said as they looked at it. She had been a bit worried that it might go off because of her secret, but guessed that since she wasn't harboring any thoughts to harm Harry that it wasn't going off.

"Hermione's in France, and got me...a broom servicing kit? Awesome!" Harry softly exclaimed. He enjoyed a sport called quidditch and played seeker, and enjoyed flying around on a broom.

Unfortunately, this had been the only communication they had with their friends. Harry had agreed to not send letters with Hedwig, and made sure Skazzy didn't, and the one time one of his friends called the house, well, it wasn't pretty. So Ron must have warned the other people they had given phone numbers to to not call. Both Harry and Skazzy were a little upset at that, since the two others would have known how to use a phone.

Harry picked up the last package. The writing was recognizable as belonging to one Hagrid, gamekeeper at Hogwarts. He started to unwrap the present when it began to move.

"Hagrid wouldn't send you a dangerous creature, right?" Skazzy asked, as she looked around for a weapon.

"I don't think so. But he does think a three headed dog is cute, and claims Aragog won't hurt people," Harry said, eyeing the package warily. He poked it, and it seemed to snap, as if it had jaws.

"I got the lamp," Skazzy said holding it over her head and prepared to whack whatever it was. Harry counted to three, and ripped the paper off the present. Both Potters froze when it was just a book, which than turned on its side and scuttled away. Skazzy lunged after dropping the lamp on Harry's bed and managed to grab the book. Unfortunately, she didn't weigh much and the book was fighting her, and moving her across the floor. Harry grabbed a belt and between the two of them, they managed to get the belt around the book and bound it.

"Why did he get you a biting book?" Skazzy asked, as they both paused to see if anyone had heard the scuffle. Harry shrugged. He looked at the card that Hagrid had sent.

"Says I might find it useful," Harry answered, staring doubtfully at the book.

"Maybe you can try to send the book to an enemy, and it will eat them?" Skazzy suggested, also staring at the book.

"Monster Book of Monsters. Doesn't seem like a book to send to an enemy," Harry said. Skazzy shrugged.

"Alright, we can ask him when we see him," Skazzy said. They turned towards the other two letters the owl had. One of them appeared thicker than the other one, and it turned out to be for Harry. Each Potter took their letter and opened it. Skazzy scanned her letter, noticing that whoever their defense professor was this year, had assigned what seemed like a useful book. Granted, their last professor had assigned his own books as textbooks, and it turned out he didn't actually do anything in the books so almost anything would be better, but still.

Harry sighed. Skazzy looked up.

"What?" she asked, concerned. Harry shook his head and tossed his letter to his sister. She read it.

 _Dear Mr. Potter,_

 _Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock._

 _Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign._

 _A list of books for next year is enclosed. Yours sincerely,_

 _Professor M. McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

"Ah, well, that might be problematic?" Skazzy said, meeting her brother's eyes. She glimpsed at the clock behind her brother. "Two am, want to call it?"

Harry nodded, putting his birthday cards from Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid standing up on his desk. He grinned, looking at the cards. Skazzy smiled, and the two got into bed. Skazzy waited until she heard her brother sleeping than grabbed one of her potions. Just one dose couldn't hurt. Plus she needed it. Now one dose only kept her sleep dreamless for about six hours. She drank it, put the bottle back, and went to bed. It took her about ten minutes to fall asleep. She missed the owl that flew in, dropped two letters on the desk, and flew out.


	2. The Unwanted Visitor

Disclaim: Do not own. If I did, well, I'm pretty sure Fred and George Weasley would be the main characters.

* * *

Harry woke up before his sister, like he usually did this summer. Apparently her time at Hogwarts had made her a deeper sleeper than she used to be. He allowed her to sleep in, to make up for the year she was stuck at the Dursley's alone. He felt that she was keeping something from him, but he knew that pushing her about it wouldn't work. He noticed that two more letters had come. One was for him, and he opened it.

It was from Amity Fear, his sister's friend. She wished him a happy birthday, thanked him again for helping to save her at the end of last year, and hoped that his summer was bearable. She was also sorry that Ron had been the first to call. Apparently he hadn't followed the plan that Hermione had come up with, where Hermione would be the first to call. Harry smiled at that. Ron always was hot-headed, and he was happy to know that Ron missed him as much as he missed Ron. He put the card with the other birthday cards, and went downstairs.

The Dursley's were sitting around the kitchen table which had a welcome-home-for-the-summer TV on it. His cousin Dudley had been complaining about how far away the fridge was from the living room. On the bright side, this meant that Dudley spent most of his time in the kitchen, so neither Potter was responsible for making food.

Harry grabbed some pieces of toast, intending to take it back up to his room so that he could eat in peace, and when Skazzy woke up she would have food. He wouldn't put it past the Dursleys to not let Skazzy eat if she missed a meal. However, the reporter on the television caught his attention. "...the public is warned that Black is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hot line has been set up, and any sighting of Black should be reported immediately."

"No surprise, given that he looks like that," Uncle Vernon snorted, indicating the picture of Black that had been put on the screen. The news than changed to something about agriculture and Uncle Vernon pounded on the table. "Hold on, you can't end there. Where did he escape from? He could be anywhere, coming up this street even! Bloody reporters can't do their job right."

"Nobody is coming up the street," Aunt Petunia said, as she looked out the window. She looked a little disappointed at that. Harry knew that she would love to call the hotline. She was one of the nosiest people on Privet Drive, and all their neighbors were, unfortunately for her interests, boring and law-abiding.

"Should just hang them all," Uncle Vernon said, turning back to his food. "Only way to deal with them."

Aunt Petunia nodded, while Dudley just watched the TV intently, mechanically eating the food Aunt Petunia kept putting on his plate.

"Anyway, I'll be off in a minute. Marge's train gets here soon," Uncle Vernon said, looking at his watch.

Harry, who had been making his way to the stairs, turned to stare at Uncle Vernon. "She's not coming here, is she?"

Aunt Marge, Uncle Vernon's sister, lived in the country, in a house where she bred awfully evil bulldogs. She didn't visit often, because she 'couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs', but each visit had been horrible for the Potter siblings. For some reason, even though she wasn't technically their aunt, they had been forced to call her that. Why, neither one of them knew since Aunt Marge enjoyed tormenting the two of them, and seemed like she'd be quite happy to not claim them as relatives.

At Dudley's fifth birthday party, Aunt Marge had whacked Harry around the shins with her walking stick so that Dudley won musical chairs. She also found it very fun to knock Skazzy over while she was trying to learn to walk. Skazzy had bit her, and they had been locked in the cupboard for the rest her stay. One Christmas, she bought a box of dog biscuits for the two Potters, while giving Dudley a robot. The last time she had come, Harry had been stuck in a tree avoiding her nasty dog Ripper. She didn't call the dog off until after midnight. Skazzy had managed to get Harry food, but every time he tried to get down, Ripper would try and bite him. Dudley still laughed at that memory, while Skazzy scowled.

"She'll be here for a week," Uncle Vernon snarled, "and while we're on the subject," he pointed a fat finger threateningly at Harry, "we need to get a few things straight before I go and get her."

"Get who?" Skazzy asked. She had apparently woken up and come downstairs. Harry handed her a piece of toast and she started to eat.

"Aunt Marge," Harry said. Dudley decided that watching the Potters be bullied by Uncle Vernon was more interesting than the TV.

"First," growled Uncle Vernon, although he gave Skazzy a strange look, "You'll both keep a civil tongue when you are talking to her."

"All right, if she does when she's talking to me," Harry said bitterly. Skazzy narrowed her eye at Uncle Vernon, and he turned to look at Harry so that he couldn't see Skazzy's face.

"Second, no funny stuff," Uncle Vernon said.

"I thought that was a general rule," Harry said.

"Thirdly, we told her that you go to St. Brutus's Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Children. You will both be sticking to that story, or there'll be trouble," Uncle Vernon said, glaring at Harry.

"You know, that's going to be rather hard to remember," Skazzy said. Harry turned to stare at her, and she gave him a quick smile. "I mean, such a long name for a school I've never been to. What if I, accidentally, forget?"

"You better not," Uncle Vernon said, but he turned a little pale under his red face.

"I think I might know a way to make sure I remember the story. You're going to have to sign something for Harry, otherwise I'll just forget," Skazzy continued. Uncle Vernon turned purple.

"If you think that..." Uncle Vernon started.

"What was it? St Mary's School for the Gifted? Where we got to go on field trips to all these different places, and they treated us wonderfully?" Skazzy asked Harry, who was just staring at her. Skazzy was playing a dangerous game. Very dangerous.

But for some reason this year, she had become a bit more cavalier around the Dursley's. Harry didn't know why, and had a feeling that even if he asked Skazzy he wouldn't get an answer. However, she was trying to get his Hogsmeade form signed. He wouldn't say anything.

"I'll sign it after the visit, if both of you keep to the story, and do no funny business," Uncle Vernon said, sweating a little. Skazzy nodded, took her toast, and went up to their room. Harry followed her, knowing better than to be in the same room as any of the Dursleys after that.

Harry went to get his birthday presents, and put them under the loose floorboard in the bedroom where the Potters' homework lived. Skazzy went to Hedwig's cage, and opened the door. Errol and Hedwig were both sleeping, and Errol looked a lot better.

"Hey you two, better head off to the Weasleys. Someone will look after you there. Don't come back for about a week. Ouch!" Skazzy said, glaring at Hedwig while trying to stop her finger from bleeding. "Look, it's for Harry ok? So he can go on weekend field trips with his friends."

Hedwig decided that that was an acceptable reason to leave, and took off with Errol in tow after Harry had written a note to Ron. The empty cage went in the closet. Harry tossed the letter that Skazzy had apparently not noticed to her, and she opened it and read it. A small smile came over her face, something Harry hadn't seen in awhile. Amity was a good friend for Skaz. She tucked the letter under her pillow after she was done reading it.

All too soon, they were being called down to meet Aunt Marge.

There was a crunch of gravel outside as Uncle Vernon's car pulled back into the driveway, then the clunk of the car doors and footsteps on the garden path.

"Get the door!" Aunt Petunia hissed at Harry. A feeling of great gloom in his stomach, Harry pulled the door open. Skazzy strategically placed herself behind the door, so that she didn't have to look at Marge.

On the threshold stood Aunt Marge. She was very like Uncle Vernon: large, beefy, and purple- faced, she even had a mustache, though not as bushy as his. In one hand she held an enormous suitcase, and tucked under the other was an old and evil-tempered bulldog.

"Where's my Dudders?" roared Aunt Marge. "Where's my neffy poo?"

Dudley came waddling down the hall, his blond hair plastered flat to his fat head, a bow tie just visible under his many chins. Aunt Marge thrust the suitcase into Harry's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, seized Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, and planted a large kiss on his cheek.

Harry knew perfectly well that Dudley only put up with Aunt Marge's hugs because he was well paid for it, and sure enough, when they broke apart, Dudley had a crisp twenty-pound note clutched in his fat fist.

"Petunia!" shouted Aunt Marge, striding past Harry and Skazzy as though they were a hat-stand. Aunt Marge and Aunt Petunia kissed, or rather, Aunt Marge bumped her large jaw against Aunt Petunias bony cheekbone.

Uncle Vernon now came in, smiling jovially as he shut the door.

"Tea, Marge?" he said. "And what will Ripper take?"

"Ripper can have some tea out of my saucer," said Aunt Marge as they all proceeded into the kitchen, leaving the Potters alone in the hall with the suitcase. Not that either of them were complaining; any excuse not to be with Aunt Marge was a good one, so they began to heave the case upstairs into the spare bedroom, taking as long as they could.

By the time they got back to the kitchen, Aunt Marge had been supplied with tea and fruitcake, and Ripper was lapping noisily in the corner. Skazzy saw Aunt Petunia wince slightly as specks of tea and drool flecked her clean floor. Aunt Petunia hated animals. She hid her grin.

"Who's looking after the other dogs, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked.

"Oh, I've got Colonel Fubster managing them," boomed Aunt Marge. "He's retired now, good for him to have something to do. But I couldn't leave poor old Ripper. He pines if he's away from me."

Ripper began to growl again as Harry sat down. Skazzy glared at the dog, and he whimpered a bit. She did look a little scarier after her injury. This directed Aunt Marge's attention to the two Potters for the first time.

"So!" she barked. "Still here...what the hell happened to your face?"

Skazzy touched her scar, and watched Uncle Vernon turn a little red. "Knife fight."

"Don't you smirk at me!" boomed Aunt Marge, turning away from Skazzy, as Harry smiled at Skazzy's lie that was sort of a truth. "I can see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you." She took a large gulp of tea, wiped her mustache, and said, "Where is it that you send them, again, Vernon?"

"St. Brutus's," said Uncle Vernon promptly. "It's a first-rate institution for hopeless cases."

"I see," said Aunt Marge. "Do they use the cane at St. Brutus's, boy?" she barked across the table.

"Yes," said Harry. Then, feeling he might as well do the thing properly, he added, "All the time."

"Excellent," said Aunt Marge. "I won't have this namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. A good thrashing is what's needed in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred. Have either of you been beaten often?"

"Nah, I get solitary confinement. Something about not being ready to be in proper company," Skazzy said, a bored look on her face.

"Oh, yeah," said Harry at the same time, "loads of times." Aunt Marge narrowed her eyes, glaring at both Skazzy and Harry.

"I still don't like your tone, boy," she said. "If you can speak of your beatings in that casual way, they clearly aren't hitting you hard enough. Petunia, I'd write if I were you. Make it clear that you approve the use of extreme force in this boy's case. And why would they let that one come back?" Aunt Marge pointed to Skazzy. Uncle Vernon was stuck between wanting to glare at Skazzy for making herself seem like a very problematic child, and being glad that she was keeping to the story very well.

Perhaps Uncle Vernon was worried that Skazzy might make more comments that would make Aunt Marge question her freedom; in any case, he changed the subject abruptly.

"Heard the news this morning, Marge? What about that escaped prisoner, eh?"

As Aunt Marge started to make herself at home, Harry caught himself thinking almost longingly of life at number four without her. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia usually encouraged the Potters to stay out of their way, which they were both only too happy to do. Aunt Marge, on the other hand, wanted the two under her eye at all times, so that she could boom out suggestions for their improvement. She delighted in comparing the two with Dudley, and took huge pleasure in buying Dudley expensive presents while glaring at the Potters, as though daring them to ask why they hadn't got a present too. She also kept throwing out dark hints about what made the two such unsatisfactory people. Although, with the way Skazzy was acting, it was almost like she was trying to get Aunt Marge to decide to leave them alone this time.

"You mustn't blame yourself for the way the girl's turned out, Vernon," she said over lunch on the third day. "If there's something rotten on the _inside_ , there's nothing anyone can do about it."

Harry tried to concentrate on his food, while Skazzy tried to keep a blank face, ignoring the urge to glare at Aunt Marge. _This is for Harry. She's not worth getting in trouble over. Yet._

Aunt Marge reached for her glass of wine.

"It's one of the basic rules of breeding," she said. "You see it all the time with dogs. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there'll be something wrong with the pup..."

At that moment, the wineglass Aunt Marge was holding exploded in her hand. Shards of glass flew in every direction and Aunt Marge sputtered and blinked, her great ruddy face dripping.

"Marge!" squealed Aunt Petunia. "Marge, are you all right?"

"Not to worry," grunted Aunt Marge, mopping her face with her napkin. "Must have squeezed it too hard. Did the same thing at Colonel Fubster's the other day. No need to fuss, Petunia, I have a very firm grip..."

But Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were both looking at Harry and Skazzy suspiciously, so the two decided dessert wasn't worth staying at the table any longer.

Outside in the hall, Harry leaned against the wall, breathing deeply while Skazzy glared at the floor. It had been a long time since one of them had lost control and made something explode. Neither of them couldn't afford to let it happen again. The Hogsmeade form wasn't the only thing at stake, they might get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. Again.

Underage wizards and witches, those under the age of seventeen, were not allowed to do magic outside of school except in dire situations. Last year, a house elf named Dobby had gotten Harry a warning from the Ministry, and if anymore magic happened that Harry could be blamed for would get him kicked out of Hogwarts. Neither Potter wanted that.

There was a loud noise from the kitchen which meant the Dursleys leaving the table and the two hurried upstairs out of the way.

Harry got through the next three days by forcing himself to think about his _Handbook of Do-It- Yourself Broomcare_ whenever Aunt Marge started on him, while Skazzy reminded herself that this was for Harry when Aunt Marge insulted her. This worked quite well, though it seemed to give Harry a glazed look, because Aunt Marge started voicing the opinion that he was mentally subnormal. Skazzy kept twitching at that, and Aunt Marge began to say that she seemed suspicious, being twitchy all the time.

Finally, the last evening of Aunt Marge's stay arrived. A fancy dinner had been cooked by Aunt Petunia, and a few bottles of wine had been opened by Uncle Vernon and drunk by Aunt Marge. They made it all the way to dessert before there was a mention of one of the Potters' faults. Uncle Vernon droned on about Grunnings, and then brought out brandy while Aunt Petunia made coffee.

"Brandy, Marge?" Uncle Vernon asked, even though it was clear that Aunt Marge had already had plenty of alcohol.

"Just a small one, then," she chuckled. "A bit more than that... and a bit more... that's the ticket." Uncle Vernon had filled an entire cup with brandy for her.

Dudley was eating his fourth slice of pie. Aunt Petunia was sipping coffee with her little finger sticking out. Harry really wanted to disappear into his bedroom, but he met Uncle Vernon's angry little eyes and knew he would have to sit it out. He kept his hand on his sister, so she wouldn't get up.

"Aah," said Aunt Marge, smacking her lips and putting the empty brandy glass back down. "Excellent nosh, Petunia. It's normally just a fry-up for me of an evening, with twelve dogs to look after..." She burped richly and patted her great tweed stomach. "Pardon me. But I do like to see a healthy-sized boy," she went on, winking at Dudley. "You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudders, like your father. Yes, I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon..."

"Now, this one here," She jerked her head at Harry, who felt his stomach clench. _The Handbook_ , he thought quickly. He felt Skazzy tense under his hand.

"This one's got a mean, runty look about him. You get that with dogs. I had Colonel Fubster drown one last year. Ratty little thing it was. Weak. Underbred."

Harry was trying to remember page twelve of his book: _A Charm to Cure Reluctant Reversers._ Skazzy clenched her teeth and thought _doing this for Harry. Doing this for Harry._

"It all comes down to blood, as I was saying the other day. Bad blood will out. Now, I'm saying nothing against your family, Petunia," she patted Aunt Petunia's bony hand with her shovel, er, hand. "But your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in even the best of families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here are the results right in front of us."

Harry was staring at his plate, a funny ringing in his ears. _Grasp your broom firmly by the tail_ , he thought. But he couldn't remember what came next. Aunt Marge's voice seemed to be boring into him like one of Uncle Vernon's drills. Skazzy was scowling at her plate, trying to not look at Aunt Marge because she knew she would do something she'd regret later.

"This Potter," said Aunt Marge loudly, seizing the brandy bottle and splashing more into her glass and over the tablecloth, "you never told me what he did?"

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were looking extremely tense. Dudley had even looked up from his pie to gape at his parents.

"He, uh, didn't work," said Uncle Vernon, with half a glance at the Potters. "Unemployed."

"As I expected!" said Aunt Marge, taking a huge swig of brandy and wiping her chin on her sleeve. "A no-account, good-for-nothing, lazy scrounger who..."

"He was not," said Harry suddenly. The table went very quiet. Harry was shaking all over. He had never felt so angry in his life. Skazzy couldn't remind him about the form because she was far too busy out right glaring at Aunt Marge since Harry had taken his hand off her and broke their silence.

"MORE BRANDY!" yelled Uncle Vernon, who had gone very white. He emptied the bottle into Aunt Marge's glass. "You, two," he snarled at the siblings. "Go to bed, go on..."

"No, Vernon," hiccupped Aunt Marge, holding up a hand, her tiny bloodshot eyes fixed on both the Potters. "Go on, boy, go on. Proud of your parents, are you? They go and get themselves killed in a car crash (drunk, I expect)..."

"They didn't die in a car crash!" said Skazzy quietly, while Harry found himself on his feet.

"They died in a car crash, you nasty little liar, and left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!" screamed Aunt Marge, swelling with fury. "You two are insolent, ungrateful little..."

But Aunt Marge suddenly stopped speaking. For a moment, it looked as though words had failed her. She seemed to be swelling with inexpressible anger except the swelling didn't stop. Her great red face started to expand, her tiny eyes bulged, and her mouth stretched too tightly for speech. The next second, several buttons had just burst from her tweed jacket and pinged off the walls. It was soon apparent she was inflating like a monstrous balloon, her stomach bursting free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami...

"MARGE!" yelled Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia together as Aunt Marge's whole body began to rise off her chair toward the ceiling. She was entirely round, now, like a vast life buoy with piggy eyes, and her hands and feet stuck out weirdly as she drifted up into the air, making apoplectic popping noises. Ripper came skidding into the room, barking madly.

"NOOOOOOO!"

Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but was almost lifted from the floor himself. A second later, Ripper leapt forward and sank his teeth into Uncle Vernon's leg.

Harry and Skazzy tore from the dining room before anyone could stop them, Harry heading for the cupboard under the stairs, Skazzy dashing up the stairs to their room. The cupboard door burst magically open as Harry reached it. In seconds, he had heaved the two trunks to the front door. Skazzy got all Harry's presents and cards, as well as their homework and textbooks, Hedwig's cage, and her potions and letter from Amity. She managed to get down the stairs and everything put in the respective trunks, hoping Harry didn't see the potions, just as Uncle Vernon burst out of the dining room, his trouser leg in bloody tatters.

"COME BACK IN HERE!" he bellowed. "COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!"

But a reckless rage had come over Harry, and Skazzy wasn't going to stop him. The two of them pulled their wands on their uncle, glaring at him.

"She deserved it," Skazzy said, coldly. "She deserved what she got. In fact, she deserved worse than she got. If I ever see her again, she'll regret ever insulting us. You stay away from both of us. Or you'll regret it."

Harry fumbled behind him for the latch on the door. "We're going," Harry said. "We've had enough."

And in the next moment, both Potters were out in the dark, quiet street, heaving their heavy trunks behind them.

"Well, that felt good. Where to next?" Skazzy asked, as the two of them walked as far away as they could. "Also, how exactly are we going to get there?"

Harry paused. "Didn't the twins mention something about a bus?"

"I think I remember that. Did they say how to call it?" Skazzy asked.

"Not that I remember," Harry replied. Skazzy frowned.

"Well, Amity gave me her phone number so that I could call her. Maybe her mother could come get us?" Skazzy suggested.

"That requires the use of a phone, and I'm pretty sure the Ministry will be here soon. Let's try and get out before we get in trouble," Harry said, continuing to pull his trunk behind him. Skazzy followed. "Come on, we have to go."

"I'm going to guess that Uncle Vernon won't sign the form," Skazzy sighed. "So close."

"I think we have bigger problems than that," Harry said dryly.


	3. The Knight Bus

Disclaim: Still do not own. Sigh.

* * *

Harry and Skazzy were several streets away before Skazzy collapsed onto a low wall in Magnolia Crescent, panting from the effort of dragging her trunk. Harry stopped and sat down as well, anger still surging through him, listening to the frantic thumping of his heart.

But after ten minutes in the dark street, a new emotion overtook him: panic. Whichever way he looked at it, he and Skazzy had never been in a worse fix. They was stranded, quite alone, in the dark muggle world, with absolutely nowhere to go. And the worst of it was, one of the two of them had just done serious magic, which meant that one of them might certainly expelled from Hogwarts. They had broken the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry so badly, he was surprised Ministry of Magic representatives weren't swooping down on them where they sat.

Harry shivered and looked up and down Magnolia Crescent while Skazzy continued to catch her breath.

"What are we going to do?" Harry asked out loud, hoping that Skazzy might have an idea.

"Don't know. We should have converted some of our money into muggle money," Skazzy said, lying on her trunk. She was shaking more than she expected. For the past week, she hadn't been taking the dreamless sleep potion, and she was kind of afraid she was going through withdrawal.

"We need to get to London, but we can't drag our trunks," Harry said, closing his eyes. "Ron and Hermione would help us, but..."

"Both are out of the country, we have no money for a phone or cab and don't know where Amity lives, or how to summon the wizard bus," Skazzy continued.

"Well, we're probably expelled, so I guess what can it hurt to do more magic?" Harry said, standing up.

Skazzy shrugged, sitting up, still shaking. "What's your plan?"

"Make the trunks feather-light, tie them together, and use my broom to get to London. And Dad's cloak to make us invisible," Harry said, piecing his ideas together. "We could get the rest of the money, and..."

"Find somewhere to live where no one can find us?" supplied Skazzy.

"That's probably our best bet," Harry sighed heavily. "Don't want to have to explain to police what we're carrying. Do you have the cloak or do I?"

"You, I gave it back at the end of the year," Skazzy said, standing up.

Harry opened his trunk again and pushed the contents aside, looking for the invisibility cloak, but before he had found it, Skazzy made a strange movement and he looked up at her. Skazzy was looking around.

"What's the matter?" Harry whispered, looking around as well.

"Something's watching," Skazzy hissed back, her eye straining to see in the dark. Harry went back to his trunk again, but almost immediately stood up once more, his hand clenching his wand. He had sensed rather than heard it: someone or something was standing in the narrow gap between the garage and the fence behind him. "Narrow gap between garage and the fence."

" _Lumos_ ," Skazzy muttered, and a light appeared at the end of her wand, almost dazzling both of them. She held it high over her head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them the two Potters saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes. Skazzy stepped backwards, and tripped over Harry's trunk. She spun her arms, trying to keep her balance but she fell.

There was a deafening BANG, and Harry threw up his hands to shield his eyes against a sudden blinding light...

With a yell, Skazzy rolled back onto the pavement, just in time. A second later, a gigantic pair of wheels and headlights screeched to a halt exactly where Skazzy had just been lying. They belonged, as Harry saw when he lowered his hands, to a triple-decker, violently purple bus, which had appeared out of thin air. Gold lettering over the windshield spelled _The Knight Bus_.

"Well, guess that's the bus," Skazzy said, blinking her eye.

* * *

In the Room, the quill picked itself up, and the two Unspeakables watched as it moved for the first time since the end of the year.

Happened:

Sirius Black sees Phoenix Potter's wound, and decides to try and keep the Potter siblings safe.

Should:

Sirius Black does not decide to actively keep anyone safe for another Hogwarts year.

"I thought Sirius Black was suppose to want the Potters dead," the younger Unspeakable said. The older one frowned.

"Rumor had it at the end of the war, he was Voldemort's right hand man, so you're right. It wouldn't make sense for him to want to keep the Potters safe."

"Could that be the origin point? Maybe he was actually a spy that no one spoke up for? Or maybe it's a big conspiracy to get the death eaters in Azkaban to open up to Black, thinking he's one of them?" the younger one speculated.

"A conspiracy? Really? How long have you worked at this Department?" the older one asked, a fond smile on his face. "The Ministry is incapable of keeping secrets secret. At the very least, our Department would know because we'd be involved."

"Well then, this doesn't make sense," the younger one said as he added Sirius Black's name to the list of players.

"No, it doesn't," agreed the older one. "And that worries me."

* * *

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—"

The conductor stopped abruptly. He had just caught sight of Skazzy, who was still sitting on the ground. She slowly stood up, Harry helping her. Close up, the two saw that Stan Shunpike was only a few years older than Harry was, eighteen or nineteen at most, with large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples.

"What were you doin' down there?" said Stan, dropping his professional manner.

"Fell over," said Skazzy.

"'Choo fall over for?" sniggered Stan.

"Because I decided that it was boring to walk around like everyone else," said Skazzy, dryly. One of the knees in her jeans was torn, and the hand she had thrown out to break her fall was bleeding. Harry suddenly remembered why she had fallen over and turned around quickly to stare at the alleyway between the garage and fence. The Knight Bus's headlamps were flooding it with light, and it was empty.

"'Choo lookin' at?" said Stan, trying to peer around him.

"There was a big black thing," said Harry, pointing uncertainly into the gap. "Like a dog... but massive..."

He looked around at Stan, whose mouth was slightly open. With a feeling of unease, Harry and Skazzy saw Stan's eyes move to the scar on Harry's forehead. Before he could say anything, Skazzy jumped in front of him. Stan's eyes bulged, as he got a better look at Skazzy's face.

"Woss that on your face?" said Stan abruptly.

"Injury," said Harry quickly.

"Woss your names?" Stan persisted. "Neville Longbottom," said Harry, saying the first name that came into his head.

"Genesis Blake," Skazzy said at the same time. Harry looked at her. "We're friends."

"Anyway, this bus," Harry said, "did you say it goes _anywhere_?"

"Yep," said Stan proudly, "anywhere you like, 'long it's on land. Can't do nuffink underwater."

"Ere," Stan said, looking suspicious again, "you _did_ flag us down, dincha? Stuck out your wand 'and, dincha?"

"Yes, I did, not hm," said Skazzy quickly. "Listen, how much would it be to get to London?"

"Eleven Sickles a person," said Stan, "but for firteen you get 'ot chocolate, and for fifteen you get an 'ot- water bottle an' a toofbrush in the color of your choice."

Harry rummaged through his trunk, extracted his money bag, and shoved some gold into Stan's hand while Skazzy helped him get his truck on the bus. Then Stan helped her with her own trunk. Skazzy bumped into Harry, and looked around him.

There were no seats; instead, half a dozen brass bedsteads stood beside the curtained windows. Candles were burning in brackets beside each bed, illuminating the wood-paneled walls. A tiny wizard in a nightcap at the rear of the bus muttered, "Not now, thanks, I'm pickling some slugs" and rolled over in his sleep.

"You 'ave this one," Stan whispered, shoving Harry's trunk under the bed right behind the driver, who was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel. "And you 'ave this one."

Skazzy pushed her trunk under the bed Stan indicated, and sat down on it.

"This is our driver, Ernie Prang. This is Neville Longbottom and Genesis Blake, Ern," Stan said, pointing to the two Potter siblings.

Ernie Prang, an elderly wizard wearing very thick glasses, nodded to Harry and Skazzy.

"Take'er away, Ern," said Stan, sitting down in the armchair next to Ernie's.

There was another tremendous BANG, and the next moment Harry and Skazzy found themselves flat on their beds, thrown backward by the speed of the Knight Bus. Pulling himself up, Harry stared out of the dark window and saw that they were now bowling along a completely different street. Stan was watching Harry's stunned face with great enjoyment. Skazzy just turned on her side, feeling too dizzy to actually get up. She needed the dreamless sleep potion.

"This is where we was before you flagged us down," he said. "Where are we, Ern? Somewhere in Wales?"

"Ar," said Ernie. "How come the muggles don't hear the bus?" said Harry.

"Them!" said Stan contemptuously. "Don' listen properly, do they? Don' look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don'."

"Best go wake up Madam Marsh, Stan," said Ernie. "We'll be in Abergavenny in a minute."

Stan passed Harry's bed and disappeared up a narrow wooden staircase. Harry was still looking out of the window, feeling increasingly nervous. Skazzy was watching to make sure Harry wasn't looking, and took a few doses of her potion. She needed it, and she needed it yesterday. She fell asleep, the best sleep she'd had in a week. Harry looked over at his sister, and frowned at how fast she fell asleep. And the fact that she could fall asleep on the crazy bus.

Harry noticed Ernie didn't seem to have mastered the use of a steering wheel. The Knight Bus kept mounting the pavement, but it didn't hit anything; lines of lampposts, mailboxes, and trash cans jumped out of its way as it approached and back into position once it had passed.

Stan came back downstairs, followed by a faintly green witch wrapped in a traveling cloak.

"'Ere you go, Madam Marsh," said Stan happily as Ernie stamped on the brake and the beds slid a foot or so toward the front of the bus. Madam Marsh clamped a handkerchief to her mouth and tottered down the steps. Stan threw her bag out after her and rammed the doors shut; there was another loud BANG, and they were thundering down a narrow country lane, trees leaping out of the way.

Harry wouldn't have been able to sleep even if he had been traveling on a bus that didn't keep banging loudly and jumping a hundred miles at a time, and he wondered how his sister stayed asleep. His stomach churned as he fell back to wondering what was going to happen to him, and whether the Dursleys had managed to get Aunt Marge off the ceiling yet.

Stan had unfurled a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ and was now reading with his tongue between his teeth. A large photograph of a sunken-faced man with long, matted hair blinked slowly at Harry from the front page. He looked strangely familiar.

"That man!" Harry said, forgetting his troubles for a moment. "He was on the muggle news!" Stanley turned to the front page and chuckled.

"Sirius Black," he said, nodding. "'Course 'e was on the Muggle news, Neville. Where you been?"

He gave a superior sort of chuckle at the blank look on Harry's face, removed the front page, and handed it to Harry.

"You oughta read the papers more, Neville."

Harry held the paper up to the candlelight and read:

 _BLACK STILL AT LARGE_

 _Sirius Black, possibly the most infamous prisoner ever to be held in Azkaban fortress, is still eluding capture, the Ministry of Magic confirmed today._

" _We are doing all we can to recapture Black," said the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, this morning, "and we beg the magical community to remain calm."_

 _Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the muggle Prime Minister of the crisis._

" _Well, really, I had to, don't you know," said an irritable Fudge. "Black is mad. He's a danger to anyone who crosses him, magic or muggle. I have the Prime Minister's assurance that he will not breathe a word of Black's true identity to anyone. And let's face it, who'd believe him if he did?"_

 _While muggles have been told that Black is carrying a gun (a kind of metal wand that muggles use to kill each other), the magical community lives in fear of a massacre like that of twelve years ago, when Black murdered thirteen people with a single curse._

Harry looked into the shadowed eyes of Sirius Black, the only part of the sunken face that seemed alive. Harry had never met a vampire, but he had seen pictures of them in his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, and Black, with his waxy white skin, looked just like one.

"Scary-lookin' fing, inee?" said Stan, who had been watching Harry read.

"He murdered _thirteen people_?" said Harry, handing the page back to Stan, "with _one curse_?"

"Yep," said Stan, "in front of witnesses an' all. Broad daylight. Big trouble it caused, dinnit, Ern?"

"Ar," said Ernie darkly.

Stan swiveled in his armchair, his hands on the back, the better to look at Harry.

"Black woz a big supporter of You-Know-'Oo," he said.

"What, Voldemort?" said Harry, without thinking.

Even Stan's pimples went white; Ernie jerked the steering wheel so hard that a whole farmhouse had to jump aside to avoid the bus. Skazzy almost fell off her bed, but Harry lunged and stopped her.

"You outta your tree?" yelped Stan. "'Choo say 'is name for?"

"Sorry," said Harry hastily. "Sorry, I, I forgot."

"Forgot!" said Stan weakly. "Blimey, my 'eart's goin' that fast..."

"So Black was a supporter of You-Know-Who?" Harry prompted apologetically.

"Yeah," said Stan, still rubbing his chest. "Yeah, that's right. Very close to You-Know-'Oo, they say... anyway, when little 'Arry Potter got the better of You-Know-'Oo" — Harry nervously flattened his bangs down again — "all You-Know-'Oo's supporters was tracked down, wasn't they, Ern? Most of 'em knew it was all over, wiv You-Know-'Oo gone, and they came quiet. But not Sirius Black. I 'eard he thought 'e'd be second-in-command once You-Know-'Oo 'ad taken over."

"Anyway, they cornered Black in the middle of a street full of muggles an' Black took out 'is wand and 'e blasted 'alf the street apart, an' a wizard got it, an' so did a dozen muggles what got in the way. 'Orrible, eh? An' you know what Black did then?" Stan continued in a dramatic whisper.

"What?" said Harry, leaning in against his will to hear.

"Laughed," said Stan. "Jus' stood there an' laughed. An' when reinforcements from the Ministry of Magic got there, 'e went wiv em quiet as anyfink, still laughing 'is 'ead off. 'Cos 'e's mad, inee, Ern? Inee mad?"

"If he weren't when he went to Azkaban, he will be now," said Ernie in his slow voice. "I'd blow meself up before I set foot in that place. Serves him right, mind you... after what he did..."

"They 'ad a job coverin' it up, din' they, Ern?" Stan said. "'Ole street blown up an' all them muggles dead. What was it they said 'ad 'appened, Ern?"

"Gas explosion," grunted Ernie.

"An' now 'e's out," said Stan, examining the newspaper picture of Black's gaunt face again. "Never been a breakout from Azkaban before, 'as there, Ern? Beats me 'ow 'e did it. Frightenin', eh? Mind, I don't fancy 'is chances against them Azkaban guards, eh, Ern?"

Ernie suddenly shivered. "Talk about summat else, Stan, there's a good lad. Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles."

Stan put the paper away reluctantly, and Harry leaned against the window of the Knight Bus, feeling worse than ever. He couldn't help imagining what Stan might be telling his passengers in a few nights' time.

"'Ear about that 'Arry Potter and 'is sister? Blew up their aunt! We 'ad 'em 'ere on the Knight Bus, di'n't we, Ern? 'Ey were tryin' to run for it..."

Both he and Skazzy had broken wizard law just like Sirius Black. Was inflating Aunt Marge bad enough to land them in Azkaban? Harry didn't know anything about the wizard prison, though everyone he'd ever heard speak of it did so in the same fearful tone. Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, had spent two months there only last year, but he refused to talk about it. Harry wouldn't soon forget the look of terror on Hagrid's face when he had been told where he was going, and Hagrid was one of the bravest people Harry knew.

The Knight Bus rolled through the darkness, scattering bushes and wastebaskets, telephone booths and trees, and Harry lay, restless and miserable, on his feather bed. After a while, Stan remembered that Harry and Skazzy had paid for hot chocolate, but poured it all over Harry's pillow when the bus moved abruptly from Anglesea to Aberdeen, and Harry assured him that Skazzy was fine without it after he couldn't wake up Skazzy. One by one, wizards and witches in dressing gowns and slippers descended from the upper floors to leave the bus. They all looked very pleased to go.

Finally, Harry and Skazzy were the only passengers left. "Right then, Neville," said Stan, clapping his hands, "whereabouts in London the two of you 'eadin'?"

"Diagon Alley," said Harry.

"Righto," said Stan. "'Old tight, then." BANG.

They were thundering along Charring Cross Road. Harry sat up and watched buildings and benches squeezing themselves out of the Knight Bus's way. The sky was getting a little lighter. He and Skazzy would lie low for a couple of hours, go to Gringotts the moment it opened, then set off somewhere. Exactly where, he didn't know. Maybe Skazzy would have an idea when she woke up.

Ernie slammed on the brakes and the Knight Bus skidded to a halt in front of a small and shabby-looking pub, the Leaky Cauldron, behind which lay the magical entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Thanks," Harry said to Ernie, getting his trunk down the steps with Stan's help.

He went back up the steps and helped Stan lower Skazzy's trunk and carried Skazzy out of the bus when he couldn't wake her up.

"Well," said Harry. "Bye then!"

But Stan wasn't paying attention. Still standing in the doorway to the bus he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are, Harry," said a voice.

Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"

Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach. He had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself.

Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.

"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.

Fudge, a portly little man in a long, pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.

"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter and his sister."

"I knew it!" Stan shouted gleefully. "Ern! Ern! Guess 'oo Neville is, Ern! 'E's 'Arry Potter! I can see 'is scar!"

"Yes," said Fudge testily, "well, I'm very glad the Knight Bus picked them up, but Harry and I need to step inside the Leaky Cauldron now..."

Fudge increased the pressure on Harry's shoulder, and Harry found himself being steered inside the pub. A stooping figure bearing a lantern appeared through the door behind the bar. It was Tom, the wizened, toothless landlord.

"You've got them, Minister!" said Tom. "Will you be wanting anything? Beer? Brandy?"

"Perhaps a pot of tea," said Fudge, who still hadn't let go of Harry, who was still carrying his sleeping sister. Harry looked down at his sister in concern. He had no idea how she had managed to sleep through everything, especially that bus ride.

There was a loud scraping and puffing from behind them, and Stan and Ernie appeared, carrying the Potters' trunks and looking around excitedly.

"'Ow come you di'n't tell us 'oo you are, eh, Neville?" said Stan, beaming at Harry, while Ernie's owlish face peered interestedly over Stan's shoulder.

"And a private parlor, please, Tom," said Fudge pointedly.

"Bye," Harry said miserably to Stan and Ernie as Tom beckoned Fudge toward the passage that led from the bar.

"Bye, Neville!" called Stan.

Fudge marched Harry and Skazzy along the narrow passage after Tom's lantern, and then into a small parlor. Tom clicked his fingers, a fire burst into life in the grate, and he bowed himself out of the room.

"Sit down, Harry," said Fudge, indicating a chair by the fire and glancing at Skazzy.

Harry sat down, after laying his sister on a couch, feeling goose bumps rising up his arms despite the glow of the fire. Fudge took off his pinstriped cloak and tossed it aside, then hitched up the trousers of his bottle-green suit and sat down opposite Harry without sparing Skazzy another glance.

"I am Cornelius Fudge, Harry. The Minister of Magic."

Harry was about to say that he knew that, but then remembered he was under the invisibility cloak the last time he saw the minister.

Tom the innkeeper reappeared, wearing an apron over his nightshirt and bearing a tray of tea and crumpets. He placed the tray on a table between Fudge and Harry and left the parlor, closing the door behind him.

"Well, Harry," said Fudge, pouring out tea, "you've had us all in a right flap, I don't mind telling you. Running away from your aunt and uncle's house like that! I'd started to think... but you're safe, and that's what matters."

Fudge buttered himself a crumpet and pushed the plate toward Harry.

"Eat, Harry, you look dead on your feet. Now then... You will be pleased to hear that we have dealt with the unfortunate blowing-up of Miss Marjorie Dursley. Two members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department were dispatched to Privet Drive a few hours ago. Miss Dursley has been punctured and her memory has been modified. She has no recollection of the incident at all. So that's that, and no harm done."

Fudge smiled at Harry over the rim of his teacup, rather like an uncle surveying a favorite nephew. Harry, who couldn't believe his ears, opened his mouth to speak, couldn't think of anything to say, and closed it again. What was going on?

"Ah, you're worrying about the reaction of your aunt and uncle?" said Fudge. "Well, I won't deny that they are extremely angry, Harry, but they are prepared to take you and your sister back next summer as long as you stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays."

Harry unstuck his throat at the mention of his family.

"We always stay at Hogwarts for the Christmas and Easter holidays," he said, "and neither one of us ever wants to go back to Privet Drive."

"Now, now, I'm sure you'll both feel differently once you've calmed down," said Fudge in a worried tone. "They are your family, after all, and I'm sure you are fond of each other, er, very deep down. Yes, deep down."

Harry was happy that Skazzy was asleep so that she couldn't make any comments, quite sure she would have insulted the minister and get them into even more trouble. It didn't occur to Harry to put Fudge right.

"So all that remains," said Fudge, now buttering himself a second crumpet, "is to decide where you're going to spend the last two weeks of your vacation. I suggest you take a room here at the Leaky Cauldron and..."

"Hang on," blurted Harry. "What about our punishment?"

Fudge blinked. "Punishment?"

"We broke the law!" Harry said. "You know, the Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry? That one?"

"Oh, my dear boy, we're not going to punish you for a little thing like that!" cried Fudge, waving his crumpet impatiently. "It was an accident! We don't send people to Azkaban just for blowing up their aunts!"

But this didn't tally at all with Harry's past dealings with the Ministry of Magic.

"Last year, I got an official warning just because a house-elf smashed a pudding in my uncle's house!" he told Fudge, frowning. "The Ministry of Magic said I'd be expelled from Hogwarts if there was any more magic there!"

Unless Harry's eyes were deceiving him, Fudge was suddenly looking awkward.

"Circumstances change, Harry... We have to take into account... in the present climate... Surely you don't want to be expelled?"

"Of course I don't," said Harry.

"Well then, what's all the fuss about?" laughed Fudge. "Now, have a crumpet, Harry, while I go and see if Tom's got a room for you two."

Fudge strode out of the parlor and Harry stared after him.

"Something strange is going on, Skaz. Why was the minister waiting for us, if not to punish us? And you know, I don't think it's usual for the Minister of Magic himself to get involved in matters of underage magic," Harry said, frowning. Skazzy didn't answer. Harry looked at her in concern. She'd been sleeping, right? He was almost positive the two of them had gone to sleep at the same time the past week. Or at least, he hadn't noticed any of the textbooks having moved when he read his birthday cards to try and forget about Aunt Marge, so he didn't think she was staying up to do homework.

Fudge came back, accompanied by Tom the innkeeper.

"Room eleven's free, Harry," said Fudge. "I think the two of you will be very comfortable. Just one thing, and I'm sure you'll understand... I don't want you two wandering off into muggle London, all right? Keep to Diagon Alley. And you're to be back here before dark each night. Sure you'll understand. Tom will be keeping an eye on you both for me."

"Okay," said Harry slowly, "but why?"

"Don't want to lose you again, do we?" said Fudge with a hearty laugh. "No, no... best we know where you are... I mean..."

Fudge cleared his throat loudly and picked up his pinstriped cloak. "Well, I'll be off, plenty to do, you know..."

"Have you had any luck with Black yet?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing at the minister.

Fudge's finger slipped on the silver fastenings of his cloak.

"What's that? Oh, you've heard... well, no, not yet, but it's only a matter of time. The Azkaban guards have never yet failed... and they are angrier than I've ever seen them."

Fudge shuddered slightly.

"So, I'll say good-bye."

He held out his hand and Harry, shaking it, had a sudden idea.

"Er, Minister? Can I ask you something?"

"Certainly," said Fudge with a smile.

"Well, third years at Hogwarts are allowed to visit Hogsmeade, but my aunt and uncle didn't sign the permission form. D'you think you could...?"

Fudge was looking uncomfortable.

"Ah," he said. "No, no, I'm very sorry, Harry, but as I'm not your parent or guardian..."

"But you're the Minister of Magic," said Harry eagerly. "If you gave me permission..."

"No, I'm sorry, Harry, but rules are rules," said Fudge flatly.

"Perhaps you'll be able to visit Hogsmeade next year. In fact, I think it's best if you don't... yes... well, I'll be off. Enjoy your stay, Harry, and uh, never mind she's still asleep."

And with a last smile and shake of Harry's hand, Fudge left the room. Tom now moved forward, beaming at Harry.

"If you'll follow me, Mr. Potter," he said while going to get Skazzy, "I've already taken your things up..."

"I'll get her," Harry said, picking up his sister. Harry followed Tom up a handsome wooden staircase to a door with a brass number eleven on it, which Tom unlocked and opened for him.

Inside were two very comfortable-looking beds, some highly polished oak furniture, a cheerfully crackling fire and, perched on top of the wardrobe to Harry's surprise...

"Hedwig!" Harry gasped. The snowy owl clicked her beak.

"Very smart owl you've got there," chuckled Tom. "Arrived about five minutes after you did. If there's anything you need, Mr. Potter, don't hesitate to ask. Oh, same for your sister."

He gave another bow and left.

Harry put Skazzy on one bed, and sat on his bed for a long time, absentmindedly stroking Hedwig, who flew down to his arm after he put Skazzy to bed. The sky outside the window was changing rapidly from deep, velvety blue to cold, steely gray and then, slowly, to pink shot with gold. Harry could hardly believe that they'd left Privet Drive only a few hours ago, that he wasn't expelled, and that the two of them were now facing two completely Dursley-free weeks.

"It's been a very weird night, Hedwig," he yawned, glancing again at his sister who hadn't moved since they got on the bus. And without even removing his glasses, he slumped back onto his pillows and fell asleep.


	4. Two Weeks of Freedom

Disclaimer: Don't own, probably never will. Sigh.

* * *

Skazzy slowly woke up, blinking and staring at the wall. She turned around to go back to sleep when she noticed that Hedwig was on her bed.

"Why aren't you in your cage?" she asked sleepily. Hedwig hooted, and flew to a dresser.

Skazzy was about to go back to sleep, when she shot up. "That is not our dresser."

The events of the past night came back to her. She looked around, a frown on her face. _Where are we? What happened?_ She noticed her brother sleeping and sat in her bed, waiting for him to wake up. After a few hours, during which she had started her potions assignment, Harry woke up.

"So, what's the plan?" Skazzy asked, after Harry got his bearings.

"How did you sleep through everything?" Harry asked instead. Skazzy cast about for a good excuse.

"Wasn't sleeping well while Aunt Marge was in the house," Skazzy said, the lie rolling off her tongue. She would have felt a little guilty about lying, but Harry seemed to know something was up, so she was just...distracting him. As long as he didn't ask for more details... Harry frowned, but answered her question anyway.

"We're staying here until it's time to go to Hogwarts, then we're going to Hogwarts," Harry answered.

"Where is here, and I thought we were on the run?" Skazzy asked, confused.

"Leaky Cauldron, and the minister made it better," Harry answered.

"The minister made it better? Did he erase our relatives' minds so that they don't remember us?" Skazzy asked eagerly.

"No, but we're not in trouble with the Ministry. We still have to go back next summer. Apparently Sirius Black is a wizard," Harry added, remembering that she had fallen asleep before he figured that out.

"Err, who? And what's that matter?" Skazzy asked, looking at her brother. He smacked his forehead.

"Right, so, on TV before Aunt Marge came, I saw a report about a crazy guy named Black, and it turns out he escaped from Azkaban and no one has ever done that, and the minister wouldn't sign my form, and he's nervous about Black," Harry explained. Skazzy frowned.

"Wouldn't the minister be a bit more busy with the crazy guy to intercede for us?" Skazzy wondered out loud. Harry shrugged.

"Maybe it's 'cause I'm the boy-who-lived. Anyway, we need to stay in the Alley, but we're Dursley free!"

It took the two several days to get used to their strange new freedom. Never before had the two siblings been able to get up whenever they wanted or eat whatever they fancied. They could even go wherever they pleased, as long as it was in Diagon Alley, and as this long cobbled street was packed with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world, Harry felt no desire to break his word to Fudge and stray back into the muggle world. Skazzy, on the other hand, wanted to go to London, but as Harry pointed out, her injury would stand out. The swelling had gone down, and it looked as if it would be healed within a few weeks, but wizards and witches were still staring at her when they were in the Alley. It would be even worse in muggle London.

The two Potters ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day's shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava. Skazzy ate with her back to everyone, after the first day she scared a kid. It brought too much attention to them, and Skazzy knew her brother hated people staring at him. Personally, she was kind of glad people were afraid of her.

After breakfast the two would go out into the backyard, and Harry would take out his wand, tap the third brick from the left above the trash bin, and the two would stand back as the archway into Diagon Alley opened in the wall.

Harry and Skazzy spent the long sunny days exploring the shops and eating under the brightly colored umbrellas outside cafes, where their fellow diners were showing one another their purchases ("It's a lunascope, old boy. No more messing around with moon charts, see?") or else discussing the case of Sirius Black ("Personally, I won't let any of the children out alone until he's back in Azkaban"). Harry and Skazzy were taking advantage of the lack of magic-hating relatives, sitting in the bright sunshine outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, finishing all their essays with occasional help from Florean Fortescue himself, who, apart from knowing a great deal about medieval witch burnings, gave the two Potters free sundaes every half an hour. Harry enjoyed them, but Skazzy would only eat one, at the most.

Once the two had refilled their money bags with gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts from their vault at Gringotts, and Skazzy had some money changed into muggle currency 'just in case', the two had to exercise a lot of self-control not to spend everything at once. They both had to keep reminding themselves that Harry had five years to go at Hogwarts and Skazzy had six, and how it would feel to ask the Dursleys for money for spellbooks, to stop themselves from buying some unneeded things. For Harry, a handsome set of solid gold Gobstones (a wizarding game rather like marbles, in which the stones squirt a nasty-smelling liquid into the other player's face when they lose a point) was one of the things he wanted to buy. Skazzy was sorely tempted, too, by the perfect, moving model of the galaxy in a large glass ball, which would have meant she would never had to take another Astronomy lesson. If only there was some way to get out of History...

Well, that was what Harry knew Skazzy wanted. The real problem for Skazzy was that she wanted to buy more ingredients for dreamless sleep potion so that she could start making more at school, but she didn't want Harry to know, and worried she might spend too much money. She also had to be careful about taking it at night, since Harry was still suspicious about how she had slept through everything the night they escaped. Apparently the Knight Bus had been extremely bumpy.

One day, Skazzy got lucky. Curious to know what the crowd in front the Quidditch shop was staring at, Harry split from Skazzy who took this time to go and buy some potions supplies. She made sure to buy a second cauldron, that the potions textbook said would be the best for making the potion, as well as a few weeks worth of ingredients. And she got an owl order catalogue so that she could order more ingredients while at school. She managed to sneak back and put her new purchases in her trunk before stepping back outside to find her brother.

Instead of finding her brother, she first noticed a large black dog watching her from an alleyway in the Alley. She stared at the dog, and its grey eyes stared back. _Note to self: find out if dogs are smart,_ Skazzy thought to herself. The dog laid down, and showed its belly, panting slightly. Skazzy sighed, and went over to the dog and scratched it. "Why are you hiding here, if you want people to scratch you?"

The dog gave a bark and stood up, and proceeded to knock Skazzy down and licked her. Skazzy made a face. "Stop! I don't want a slobber shower." The dog backed away, giving her a sad look. She arched a brow at the intelligent dog. "No. I don't care. I don't like being slobbered on." The dog began to whine. "Nope."

Skazzy started to walk away from the dog, only to find that the dog was following her. She decided that if she ignored it, it would go away. She went back to looking for her brother, not noticing the dog as it padded behind her, glaring at any wizard or witch who stared at Skazzy with a look that could be interpreted as not friendly. When she reached a large gathering, the dog slipped away to watch from a distance.

Skazzy finally found her brother. He was standing among the crowd of wizards, staring at a new broom. He told Skazzy he would have liked it, but it didn't make sense to spend a lot of money on something he didn't really need. However Harry insisted they return, almost every day after that, just to look at the Firebolt.

They did, however, buy the things that Harry and Skazzy needed to buy. At the Apothecary they went and replenished their stores of potions ingredients. Harry didn't notice the strange glance the person who rang them up gave his sister, having become used to ignoring the stares. From at Hogwarts where everyone gaped at his scar, and from their time in Diagon Alley when people would stop and stare at Skazzy's face. Harry's school robes were now several inches too short in the arm and leg, so he visited Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought new ones, dragging Skazzy into the store since her robes were a bit smaller for her too. Madam Malkin sniffed when she saw the robes Skazzy had, muttering about second hand and low quality. Most important of all, the two had to buy their new schoolbooks, which for Harry would include those for his two new subjects, Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. For Skazzy, she just took the books that Harry had used, like _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two,_ except for the Defense book, which was different.

The two got a surprise as they looked into the bookshop window. Instead of the usual display of gold-embossed spell books the size of paving slabs, there was a large iron cage behind the glass that held about a hundred copies of The Monster Book of Monsters. Torn pages were flying everywhere as the books grappled with each other, locked together in furious wrestling matches and snapping aggressively.

"Why would they buy that book? Seems like a bad investment," Skazzy said, as she looked at the book with distaste. Harry's birthday present was still belted shut in his trunk, and they hadn't touched it since they put it there.

Harry pulled his book list out of his pocket and consulted it for the first time. _The Monster Book of Monsters_ was listed as the required book for Care of Magical Creatures. Now Harry understood why Hagrid had said it would come in useful. He pointed it out to Skazzy, feeling relieved. Harry had been half afraid that Hagrid wanted help with some terrifying new pet. Harry had some bad memories of Hagrid's last three pets.

As the Potters entered Flourish and Blotts, the manager came hurrying toward them. "Hogwarts?" he said abruptly. "Come to get your new books? The hell happened to you?" He stared at Skazzy. She sighed. That was everyone's second question.

"A fight," Skazzy said, before Harry interrupted.

"Yes," said Harry, "I need..."

"Get out of the way," said the manager impatiently, brushing Harry aside. He drew on a pair of very thick gloves, picked up a large, knobbly walking stick, and proceeded toward the door of the Monster Books' cage. Skazzy stared.

"Hang on," said Harry quickly, "I've already got one of those."

"I don't need one," Skazzy added.

"Have you?" A look of enormous relief spread over the manager's face. "Thank heavens for that. I've been bitten five times already this morning..."

A loud ripping noise rent the air; two of the Monster Books had seized a third and were pulling it apart.

"Stop it! Stop it!" cried the manager, poking the walking stick through the bars and knocking the books apart. "I'm never stocking them again, never! It's been bedlam! I thought we'd seen the worst when we bought two hundred copies of the _Invisible Book of Invisibility_ — cost a fortune, and we never found them... Well... is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Yes," said Harry, looking down his booklist and looking at Skazzy's, "I need _Unfogging the Future_ by Cassandra Vablatsky."

"Ah, starting Divination, are you?" said the manager, stripping off his gloves and leading the two into the back of the shop, where there was a corner devoted to fortune-telling. A small table was stacked with volumes such as _Predicting the Unpredictable: Insulate Yourself Against Shocks_ and _Broken Balls: When Fortunes Turn Foul._

"Here you are," said the manager, who had climbed a set of steps to take down a thick, black- bound book. " _Unfogging the Future_. Very good guide to all your basic fortune-telling methods — palmistry, crystal balls, bird entrails."

"Bird entrails?" Skazzy asked, looking a bit sick. "Do they actually teach that?"

"Not for first year Divination students," the manager said, handing the book to Skazzy. The two of them turned towards Harry. His eyes had fallen on another book, which was among a display on a small table: _Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming._

"Oh, I wouldn't read that if I were you," said the manager lightly, looking to see what Harry was staring at. "You'll start seeing death omens everywhere. It's enough to frighten anyone to death."

"Why sell it then?" Skazzy asked, and the two got into an argument of whether it was better for people to have access to books that weren't about Dark Magic but might be a bad idea to read, or if it was better for people to not know about it unless they needed it.

But Harry ignored the argument and continued to stare at the front cover of the book; it showed a black dog large as a bear, with gleaming eyes. It looked oddly familiar...

The manager and Skazzy finished their debate, neither one looking happen and the manager addressed Harry.

"Anything else?" he said.

"Yes," said Harry, tearing his eyes away from the dog's and dazedly consulting his booklist. "Er, I need _Intermediate Transfiguration_ and _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three."_

The two emerged from Flourish and Blotts ten minutes later with their new books in their arms and made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry hardly noticing where he was going and bumping into several people. Skazzy noticed that the dog was following her again. It had been doing that a lot, but she didn't have time to worry about it while trying to make sure her brother didn't walk into a wall.

Harry tramped up the stairs to their room, went inside, and tipped his books onto his bed. Somebody had been in to tidy; the windows were open and sun was pouring inside. Harry and Skazzy could hear the buses rolling by in the unseen muggle street behind them and the sound of the invisible crowd below in Diagon Alley. Harry caught sight of himself in the mirror over the basin.

"It can't have been a death omen," he told his reflection defiantly. "I was panicking when we saw that thing in Magnolia Crescent... It was probably just a stray dog..."

"What?" Skazzy asked, lying on her bed and closing her eyes. "Why would that be a death omen?"

"It was on the cover of that book," Harry answered, staring at himself in the mirror.

He raised his hand automatically and tried to make his hair lie flat

"You're fighting a losing battle there, dear," said his mirror in a wheezy voice.

"If two people saw it, does that mean they'd both die, or that it is clearly not an omen?" Skazzy asked. Harry shrugged.

"Haven't started the class yet."

Skazzy wondered if she should mention that a dog that looked like the one on Magnolia Crescent was following them through the Alley, and had been for about a week. She decided not to, assuming it would just freak her brother out more. He didn't need to think he was being courted by death. And besides, it was probably a stray dog who recognized them from their constant visits to the Alley. It was probably just a coincidence that the dog looked like a different one from Surrey. Just coincidence.

As the days slipped by, Harry started looking wherever he went for a sign of Ron or Hermione. Skazzy had taken advantage of Hedwig and had been owling Amity. Amity was planning on coming to the Alley on the last day, and stay over at the Leaky Cauldron to 'make sure Nixie gets on the train'. Harry had raised an eyebrow at the name. Skazzy had made it well known to everyone that she preferred her nickname to her real name, or any variation of her real name. As far as Harry knew, the only other people who got away with it who weren't adults, were the twins. Skazzy shrugged, turning a little pink and ignoring his questioning look.

Plenty of Hogwarts students were arriving in Diagon Alley now, with the start of term so near. Harry met Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, his fellow Gryffindors, in Quality Quidditch Supplies, where they too were ogling the Firebolt; the two also ran into the real Neville Longbottom, a round-faced, forgetful boy, outside Flourish and Blotts. Harry didn't stop to chat; Neville appeared to have mislaid his booklist and was being told off by his very formidable-looking grandmother. Harry hoped she never found out that he'd pretended to be Neville while on the run from the Ministry of Magic. Skazzy laughed and told him that next time he should invent a name. He retorted that he was under a lot of pressure at the time, and the two of them ended up wrestling in the room until the mirror yelled at them.

Skazzy noted that the dog seemed to watch both of them, and was attempting to hide the fact it was watching them from them. Harry was talking to a Gryffindor girl Skazzy thought was on the quidditch team with him when Skazzy snuck up on the dog.

"Hello dog. You are awful at hiding," Skazzy said to the dog, who jumped and turned around, having been watching her brother. "You are clearly following us, I don't know why, and for some reason my brother seems convinced that black giant dogs at death omens. This needs to stop. We'll be leaving soon, going to Hogwarts, so you may as well attach yourself to a store owner. Then you could be assured of food, or what ever it is that is causing you to follow us. Alright?"

The dog barked and shook its head. Skazzy raised her eyebrows. "Did you just tell me no? What are you going to do, follow us to Hogwarts?" The dog barked again and nodded, sitting with its tongue hanging out and tail thumping. "Yes, you are going to follow us to Hogwarts? You are a crazy dog. You are a dog, right?" Skazzy looked at the dog suspiciously. The dog tried to appear innocent. "You are definitely not helping your case, dog." Skazzy stood up to walk to her brother when she noticed he had said goodbye to the girl he had been talking to. She decided that the dog just wanted attention, and ignoring it would cause it to leave them alone.

* * *

A large black dog with grey eyes watched as the red headed girl with one green eye walked away. In his eyes were sadness, and he laid down resting his head on his paws.

 _I'm so sorry, kid. I should have been there for you two. I should have protected you._

 _I'll do better. I will. I will protect you two from everything I can. No matter what. As long as I'm alive, neither one of you will get another scar. I promise._

* * *

Harry woke on the last day of the holidays, thinking that he would at least meet Ron and Hermione tomorrow, on the Hogwarts Express. He got up, dressed, went for a last look at the Firebolt while Skazzy waited for Amity, and was just wondering where he'd have lunch, since he wanted to give Skazzy some time with Amity, when someone yelled his name and he turned.

"Harry! HARRY!"

They were there, both of them, sitting outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor — Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown, both waving frantically at him.

"Finally!" said Ron, grinning at Harry as he sat down. "We went to the Leaky Cauldron, but Skazzy said you'd left, and we went to Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's, and..."

"I got all my school stuff last week," Harry explained. "And how come you knew I'm staying at the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Dad," said Ron simply.

Mr. Weasley, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, would of course have heard the whole story of what had happened to Aunt Marge.

"Did you really blow up your aunt, Harry?" said Hermione in a very serious voice.

"It could have been me," Skazzy joined the conversation, Amity close behind. "And she deserved it."

Hermione frowned at Skazzy while Ron roared with laughter.

"It's not funny, Ron," said Hermione sharply. "Honestly, I'm amazed neither of them were expelled."

"So am I," admitted Harry. "Forget expelled, I thought I was going to be arrested." He looked at Ron. "Your dad doesn't know why Fudge let us off, does he?"

"Probably 'cause it's you, isn't it?" shrugged Ron, still chuckling. "Famous Harry Potter and all that. I'd hate to see what the Ministry'd do to me if I blew up an aunt. Mind you, they'd have to dig me up first, because Mum would've killed me. Anyway, you can ask Dad yourself this evening. We're staying at the Leaky Cauldron tonight too! So you can come to King's Cross with us tomorrow! Hermione's there as well!"

Hermione nodded, beaming. "Mum and Dad dropped me off this morning with all my Hogwarts things."

"Excellent!" said Harry happily. "So, have you got all your new books and stuff?"

"Look at this," said Ron, pulling a long thin box out of a bag and opening it. "Brand-new wand. Fourteen inches, willow, containing one unicorn tail-hair. Finally understand what you mean about him charging by the hour, Skazzy. And we've got all our books," He pointed at a large bag under his chair. "What about those Monster Books, eh? The assistant nearly cried when we said we wanted two."

"What's all that, Hermione?" Skazzy asked, pointing at not one but three bulging bags in the chair next to her.

"Well, I'm taking more new subjects than those two, aren't I," said Hermione. "Those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, the Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies..."

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" said Amity asked, curious. "You're muggleborn. Wouldn't you already know all about muggles?"

"But it'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view," said Hermione earnestly.

"Are you planning to eat or sleep at all this year, Hermione?" asked Harry, while Ron shook his head. Hermione ignored them.

"I've still got ten Galleons," she said, checking her purse. "It's my birthday in September, and Mum and Dad gave me some money to get myself an early birthday present."

"How about a nice _book_? said Ron innocently.

"No, I don't think so," said Hermione composedly. "I really want an owl. I mean, Harry's got Hedwig and you've got Errol..."

"I haven't," said Ron. "Errol's a family owl. All I've got is Scabbers." He pulled his pet rat out of his pocket. "And I want to get him checked over," he added, placing Scabbers on the table in front of them. "I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

Scabbers was looking thinner than usual, and there was a definite droop to his whiskers.

"Technically, Hedwig is a family owl too. She just isn't as fond of me," Skazzy said, folding her arms.

"There's a magical creature shop just over there," interrupted Harry, who knew Diagon Alley very well by now. "You could see if they've got anything for Scabbers, and Hermione can get her owl."

So they paid for their ice cream and crossed the street to the Magical Menagerie.

There wasn't much room inside. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy because the occupants of these cages were all squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing. The witch behind the counter was already advising a wizard on the care of double-ended newts, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione waited, examining the cages, while Amity dragged Skazzy to look at some kittens.

A pair of enormous purple toads sat gulping wetly and feasting on dead blowflies. A gigantic tortoise with a jewel-encrusted shell was glittering near the window. Poisonous orange snails were oozing slowly up the side of their glass tank, and a fat white rabbit kept changing into a silk top hat and back again with a loud popping noise. Then there were cats of every color, a noisy cage of ravens, a basket of funny custard-colored furballs that were humming loudly, and on the counter, a vast cage of sleek black rats that were playing some sort of skipping game using their long, bald tails.

The double-ended newt wizard left, and Ron approached the counter.

"It's my rat," he told the witch. "He's been a bit off-color ever since I brought him back from Egypt."

"Put him on the counter," said the witch, pulling a pair of heavy black spectacles out of her pocket.

Ron lifted Scabbers out of his inside pocket and placed him next to the cage of his fellow rats, who stopped their skipping tricks and scuffled to the wire for a better took.

Like nearly everything Ron owned, Scabbers the rat was secondhand (he had once belonged to Ron's brother Percy) and a bit battered. Next to the glossy rats in the cage, he looked especially woebegone.

"Hm," said the witch, picking up Scabbers. "How old is this rat?" "Dunno," said Ron. "Quite old. He used to belong to my brother."

"What powers does he have?" said the witch, examining Scabbers closely.

"Uh," The truth was that Scabbers had never shown the faintest trace of interesting powers. The witch's eyes moved from Scabbers's tattered left ear to his front paw, which had a toe missing, and tutted loudly.

"He's been through the mill, this one," she said.

"He was like that when Percy gave him to me," said Ron defensively.

"An ordinary common or garden rat like this can't be expected to live longer than three years or so," said the witch. "Now, if you were looking for something a bit more hard-wearing, you might like one of these..."

She indicated the black rats, who promptly started skipping again.

Ron muttered, "Show-offs."

"Well, if you don't want a replacement, you can try this rat tonic," said the witch, reaching under the counter and bringing out a small red bottle.

"Okay," said Ron. "How much... OUCH!"

Ron buckled as something huge and orange came soaring from the top of the highest cage, landed on his head, and then propelled itself, spitting madly, at Scabbers. Skazzy had come running over at the scream, ready for a fight.

"NO, CROOKSHANKS, NO!" cried the witch, but Scabbers shot from between her hands like a bar of soap, landed splay-legged on the floor, and then scampered for the door.

"Scabbers!" Ron shouted, racing towards him. Skazzy managed to grab him, and handed Scabbers to Ron. Ron had a hard time keeping Scabbers in his pocket, so he, Harry, and Skazzy left the store.

"What _was_ that thing?" Ron asked, messaging his head.

"It was either a very big cat or quite a small tiger. Or a demon. Are there demons?" asked Skazzy, looking at Ron. Ron was saved from having to answer by Amity, who had walked out of the store with a small black kitten.

"Where's Hermione?" Amity asked, looking around to see that she had not followed them out of the store.

"Probably getting her owl," Harry answered.

The group of four waited outside Magical Menagerie, each taking turns petting the small black kitten Amity had decided to name Maeve. After a little while, Hermione came out, but she wasn't carrying an owl. Her arms were clamped tightly around the enormous ginger cat.

"You _bought_ that monster?" said Ron, his mouth hanging open.

"He's _gorgeous_ , isn't he?" said Hermione, glowing.

"What do you mean, gorgeous?" asked Skazzy, giving Hermione and the cat a strange look.

The cat's ginger fur was thick and fluffy, but it was definitely a bit bowlegged and its face looked grumpy and oddly squashed, as though it had run headlong into a brick wall. Now that Scabbers was out of sight, however, the cat was purring contentedly in Hermione's arms.

"Hermione, that thing nearly scalped me!" said Ron.

"He didn't mean to, did you, Crookshanks?" said Hermione.

"Dunno, looked pretty intentional to me," Skazzy said, egging the two on to a fight. Harry slapped the back of her head. She scowled but stayed out of the argument.

"And what about Scabbers?" said Ron, pointing at the lump in his chest pocket. "He needs rest and relaxation! How's he going to get it with that thing around?"

"That reminds me, you forgot your rat tonic," said Hermione, slapping the small red bottle into Ron's hand. "And stop worrying, Crookshanks will be sleeping in my dormitory and Scabbers in yours, what's the problem? Poor Crookshanks, that witch said he'd been in there for ages; no one wanted him."

"Wonder why," said Ron sarcastically as they set off toward the Leaky Cauldron.

They found Mr. Weasley sitting in the bar, reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"Harry!" he said, smiling as he looked up. "How are...is that still not healed?"

Skazzy sighed. Hermione and Ron had asked the same question earlier. "No, there was enough poison left to hinder healing, but not enough to kill me. It's come down a lot. Think I only have a few more weeks before it'll just be a scar. I can sort of open my eye on my own now. Want to see?"

"Fine, thanks," said Mr. Weasley as the five joined Mr. Weasley with their shopping.

Mr. Weasley put down his paper, and Harry saw the now familiar picture of Sirius Black staring up at him.

"They still haven't caught him, then?" he asked.

"No," said Mr. Weasley, looking extremely grave. "They've pulled us all off our regular jobs at the Ministry to try and find him, but no luck so far."

"Wait, why would they do that? If he's dangerous, wouldn't it be better to just have professionals..." Harry asked, brow furrowing.

"Would we get a reward if we caught him?" interrupted Ron. "It'd be good to get some more money..."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron," said Mr. Weasley, who on closer inspection looked very strained. "Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard. It's the Azkaban guards who'll get him back, you mark my words."

At that moment Mrs. Weasley entered the bar, laden with shopping bags and followed by the twins, Fred and George, who were about to start their fifth year at Hogwarts; the newly elected Head Boy, Percy; and the Weasleys' youngest child and only girl, Ginny.

Ginny, who had always been very taken with Harry, seemed even more heartily embarrassed than usual when she saw him, perhaps because he had saved her life during their previous year at Hogwarts. She went very red and muttered "hello" without looking at him, before going to Amity and chatting with her, cooing over Maeve the black cat. Percy, however, held out his hand solemnly as though he and Harry had never met and said, "Harry. How nice to see you."

"Hello, Percy," said Harry, trying not to laugh. Skazzy was smiling a little.

"I hope you're well?" said Percy pompously, shaking hands. He seemed to be ignoring Skazzy. The whole debacle was rather like being introduced to the mayor.

"Very well, thanks..."

"Harry!" said Fred, elbowing Percy out of the way and bowing deeply. "Simply _splendid_ to see you, old boy..."

"Marvelous," said George, pushing Fred aside and seizing Harry's hand in turn. "Absolutely spiffing."

Percy scowled.

"That's enough, now," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Mum!" said Fred, as though he'd only just spotted her and seizing her hand, too. "How really corking to see you..."

"I said, that's enough," said Mrs. Weasley, depositing her shopping in an empty chair. "Hello, Harry, Skazzy. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?" She pointed to the brand-new silver badge on Percy's chest. "Second Head Boy in the family!" she said, swelling with pride.

"And last," Fred muttered under his breath.

"I don't doubt that," said Mrs. Weasley, frowning suddenly. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" said George, looking revolted at the very idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

"Could you imagine them as prefects?" Amity whispered to Ginny and Skazzy who had wandered away from the twins. "They'd probably prank everyone, using their privileges."

Ginny giggled at that, still petting the Maeve.

"You want to set a better example for your sister! And for Amity and Skazzy," snapped Mrs. Weasley at the twins.

"Ginny's got other brothers to set her an example, Mother. And the other two are Hufflepuffs," said Percy loftily. "I'm going up to change for dinner..."

"Is he insinuating I can't cause trouble? Did he meet me last year?" Skazzy asked, watching him leave. Amity sighed.

"Do you think you could go this year without losing points for fighting with members of our own house?" Amity asked, as she cuddled her new kitten. Skazzy had punched another Hufflepuff for calling her brother the Heir of Slytherin, and refused to apologize until the Hufflepuff had apologized to Harry. Hadn't made her popular in her house, and put Amity in an awkward position.

"If they don't say something stupid," Skazzy answered. Harry shook his head at her. "Hey, you can't talk. Who went after...mmph!"

Ron had covered her mouth. "I didn't tell my parents about first year, and Percy didn't believe the stories," He hissed at her. Skazzy nodded, restraining herself from biting him. She was pretty sure Harry would be upset if she did that. Even if it was very tempting.

George heaved a sigh after Percy vanished to change.

"We tried to shut him in a pyramid," he told Harry. "But Mum spotted us."

Dinner that night was a very enjoyable affair. Tom the innkeeper put three tables together in the parlor, and the seven Weasleys, Amity, Skazzy, Harry, and Hermione ate their way through five delicious courses. Well, Skazzy only ate a little bit of the five courses. She was still trying to make sure that she would be prepared to go a few days without food since Harry had said they'd need to go back to the Dursley's during the summer. Mrs. Weasley and Amity frowned, but neither said anything. Amity couldn't do what she usually did at school and add more food to Skazzy's plate because Skazzy was sitting by Harry, and Ginny had pulled Amity down to the other side of the table so they could talk without being near Harry. Ginny was still trying to recover from everything that happened last year, which included sending Harry an anonymous valentine that turned into a fiasco.

"How're we getting to King's Cross tomorrow, Dad?" asked Fred as they dug into a sumptuous chocolate pudding. Skazzy put hers on Ron's plate when no one was looking. Ron stared at her and she shrugged.

'Not hungry,' she mouthed. Ron nodded and ate hers as well.

"The Ministry's providing a couple of cars," said Mr. Weasley.

Everyone looked up at him.

"Why?" said Percy curiously.

"It's because of you, Perce," said George seriously. "And there'll be little flags on the hoods, with HB on them..."

"...for Humongous Bighead," finished Fred.

Everyone except Percy and Mrs. Weasley snorted into their pudding.

"Why are the Ministry providing cars, Father?" Percy asked again, in a dignified voice.

"Well, as we haven't got one anymore," said Mr. Weasley, "and as I work there, they're doing me a favor..."

His voice was casual, but Harry couldn't help noticing that Mr. Wesley's ears had gone red, just like Ron's did when he was under pressure.

"Good thing, too," said Mrs. Weasley briskly. "Do you realize how much luggage you've all got between you? A nice sight you'd be on the muggle Underground... You are all packed, aren't you?"

"Ron hasn't put all his new things in his trunk yet," said Percy, in a long-suffering voice. "He's dumped them on my bed."

"I thought that was my bed," Ron complained.

"You'd better go and pack properly, Ron, because we won't have much time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley called down the table. Ron scowled at Percy.

After dinner most everyone felt very full and sleepy. One by one they made their way upstairs to their rooms to check their things for the next day. Ron and Percy were next door to the Potters. Harry had just closed and locked his own trunk and Skazzy was busy double checking hers when they heard angry voices through the wall, and Harry went to see what was going on. Skazzy took that time to lock her trunk, drink a few of her dreamless sleep potions, and climbed into bed. As her eyes were closing, she realized she couldn't remember how many she had taken. _Shit_ , she thought. _Hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow in time._

Harry was listening to the voices out in the hall.

The door of number twelve was ajar and Percy was shouting.

"It was _here_ , on the bedside table, I took it off for polishing..."

"I haven't touched it, all right?" Ron roared back.

"What's up?" asked Harry, looking from brother to brother.

"My Head Boy badge is gone," said Percy, rounding on Harry. Harry took an involuntary step back.

"So's Scabbers's tonic," said Ron, throwing things out of his trunk to look. "I think I might've left it in the bar..."

"You're not going anywhere till you've found my badge!" yelled Percy.

"I'll get Scabbers's stuff, I'm packed," Harry said to Ron, and he hurried downstairs before Percy could rope him into looking for his badge.

Harry was halfway along the passage to the bar, which was now very dark, when he heard another pair of angry voices coming from the parlor. A second later, he recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'. He hesitated, not wanting them to know he'd heard them arguing, when the sound of his own name made him stop, then move closer to the parlor door.

"... makes no sense not to tell him," Mr. Weasley was saying heatedly. "Harry's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating Harry like a child. He's thirteen years old and..."

"Arthur, the truth would terrify him!" said Mrs. Weasley shrilly. "Do you really want to send Harry back to school with that hanging over him? For heaven's sake, he's _happy_ not knowing!"

"I don't want to make him miserable, I want to put him on his guard!" retorted Mr. Weasley. "You know what Harry and Ron are like, wandering off by themselves. They've ended up in the Forbidden Forest twice! Even Skazzy needs to know to be careful. Ginny said Amity said that for most of the year she wasn't sleeping in the Hufflepuff dorms."

At that, Harry made a mental note to question Amity more about what Skazzy didn't tell him about her first year, but continued listening to Mr. Weasley.

"But neither of them should do that this year! When I think what could have happened to them that night they ran away from home! If the Knight Bus hadn't picked them up, I'm prepared to bet the two would have been dead before the Ministry found them."

"But they're _not_ dead, they're fine, so what's the point..."

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been three weeks, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the _Daily Prophet_ , we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after..."

"But Harry will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts. Besides, remember last year, and the troll?"

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Harry..." There was a thud on wood, and Harry was sure Mr. Weasley had banged his fist on the table.

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'He's at Hogwarts... he's at Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Harry dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Harry will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Harry stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that..."

There was a silence. Harry leaned still closer to the door, desperate to hear more. He knew there was more to the minister's rules than he said.

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Harry at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's Headmaster."

"Skazzy?" Mr. Weasley asked. There was a little pause before Mrs. Weasley answered.

"Dumbledore didn't return until after they went into the Chamber. I suppose he knows about all this?"

"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards," said Mr. Weasley heavily. "Nor am I, if it comes to that... but when you're dealing with a wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

"If they save Harry..."

"...then I will never say another word against them," said Mr. Weasley wearily. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up..."

Harry heard chairs move. As quietly as he could, he hurried down the passage to the bar and out of sight. The parlor door opened, and a few seconds later footsteps told him that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were climbing the stairs.

The bottle of rat tonic was lying under the table they had sat at earlier. Harry waited until he heard Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's bedroom door close, then headed back upstairs with the bottle.

Fred and George were crouching in the shadows on the landing, heaving with laughter as they listened to Percy dismantling his and Ron's room in search of his badge.

"We've got it," Fred whispered to Harry. "We've been improving it." The badge now read _Bighead Boy_.

Harry forced a laugh, went to give Ron the rat tonic, then shut himself in his room and lay down on his bed. He had tried to wake Skazzy to talk with her about what he'd heard, but she was sleeping soundly. Again. He'd have to ask Amity about that as well.

So Sirius Black was after him. This explained everything. Fudge had been lenient with them because he was so relieved to find them alive. He'd made Harry promise to stay in Diagon Alley where there were plenty of wizards to keep an eye on him. And he was sending two Ministry cars to take them all to the station tomorrow, so that the Weasleys could look after Harry until he was on the train.

Harry lay listening to the muffled shouting next door and wondered why he didn't feel more scared. Sirius Black had murdered thirteen people with one curse; Mr. and Mrs. Weasley obviously thought Harry would be panic-stricken if he knew the truth. But Harry happened to agree wholeheartedly with Mrs. Weasley that the safest place on earth was wherever Albus Dumbledore happened to be. As long as you don't go looking for trouble. Didn't people always say that Dumbledore was the only person Lord Voldemort had ever been afraid of? Surely Black, as Voldemort's right-hand man, would be just as frightened of him?

And then there were these Azkaban guards everyone kept talking about. They seemed to scare most people senseless, and if they were stationed all around the school, Black's chances of getting inside seemed very remote. Who would willingly go near them after having escaped from them?

No, all in all, the thing that bothered Harry most was the fact that his chances of visiting Hogsmeade now looked like zero. Nobody would want Harry to leave the safety of the castle until Black was caught; in fact, Harry suspected his every move would be carefully watched until the danger had passed.

He scowled at the dark ceiling. Did they think he couldn't look after himself? He'd escaped Lord Voldemort three times; he wasn't completely useless...

Unbidden, the image of the beast in the shadows of Magnolia Crescent crossed his mind _. What to do when you know the worst is coming..._

"I'm _not_ going to be murdered," Harry said out loud. "That's the spirit, dear," said his mirror sleepily. Skazzy merely turned over and slept on.


	5. Guards of Azkaban

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, there would be a book from Luna's perspective. And either more characterization in the books for Ginny, or Harry would have married someone else.

* * *

Tom woke Harry the next morning with his usual toothless grin and a cup of tea. Harry was able to wake his sister this time, although she seemed to be half awake at best, moving around as if she was a zombie. Harry watched as she moved around, noting that he probably wanted Amity to report back on what Skazzy was doing. This did not seem healthy. Harry was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ron banged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his head and looking irritable. Skazzy gave him a brief look before curling back up on her bed. Apparently she had decided that she was done getting ready. Harry frowned, before turning to face Ron.

"The sooner we get on the train, the better," Ron said. "At least I can get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me of dripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," he grimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy..."

"I've got something to tell you, both of you," Harry began, turning towards his sister, but they were interrupted by Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulate Ron on infuriating Percy again. Skazzy got up at this, although she did not look very aware. Fred and George gave her a strange look.

"Harry, what's wrong with Nixie? She looks like an Inferius," one of the twins said, looking a little uneasy at this. Harry looked at the twins.

"A what?" Harry asked, looking at all three Weasleys. Ron smacked his head.

"Right, you grew up with muggles. An Inferius is a dead body that someone evil has brought back," Ron explained. Harry looked confused.

"I thought you couldn't bring people back?" Harry asked, shaking his sister a bit to try and wake her up a bit more. She merely muttered something unintelligible, attempted to swat away Harry's hands, and leaned against the dresser.

"Ron's a bit off," the other twin said, looking unnaturally serious. "They're more like animated corpses. Either way, only evil wizards and witches bring them back, like You-Know-Who. He had an entire army of Inferi, full of people he killed."

"She's not dead, she's fine, just...not awake? This is, uh, normal for her," Harry reassured the three Weasleys. The twins frowned, but Ron just shrugged and headed down to breakfast. Harry made sure Skazzy walked in front of him, and had to keep a hand on her to make sure she didn't fall off the stairs. Something was definitely up. After he talked with everyone about Black, he needed to find his sister's friend and discover what exactly she hadn't told him had happened to her.

They headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was reading the front page of the _Daily Prophet_ with a furrowed brow and Mrs. Weasley was telling Hermione, Amity and Ginny about a love potion she'd made as a young girl. All four of them were rather giggly, with Maeve sitting in Ginny's lap attacking a piece of string Ginny was dangling in front of her. Harry managed to catch Amity's gaze, and he nodded towards his sister. She frowned, and stood next to Skazzy, talking and gesturing as she maneuvered Skazzy into a seat.

"What were you saying, earlier?" Ron asked Harry as they sat down. "Later," Harry muttered as Percy stormed in. During breakfast, Percy and the twins got in a fight, with Mrs. Weasley yelling at the twins on Percy's behalf. Ginny was sitting next to Hermione with Maeve, since Amity was sitting with Skazzy near Harry. Amity managed to wake Skazzy up by the end of breakfast, as Skazzy was awake enough to protest the amount of food Amity had put on her plate for a third serving.

Harry had no chance to speak to Skazzy, Ron or Hermione in the chaos of leaving; they were too busy heaving all their trunks down the Leaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near the door, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched on top in their cages. Two small wickerwork baskets stood beside the heap of trunks, one spitting loudly.

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train."

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?" He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket. Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministry cars, stuck his head inside.

"They're here," he said. "Harry, come on."

Mr. Weasley marched Harry across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each of which was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit of emerald velvet. Skazzy frowned, and followed right behind. She gave her brother a questioning glance, and he mouthed later. She nodded, a little annoyed at how closely they were being watched by the Weasley parents. It was quite different from the past two weeks of freedom.

"In you get, Harry, Skazzy," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down the crowded street.

Harry got into the back of the car. Before Skazzy joined him, she saw the same black dog that had followed them in the Alley sitting and watching...in muggle London. She frowned, but got in after Ron started to complain she was being slow. Hermione joined the three in the car, and Ron breathed a sigh of relief when Percy was turned away from the first car by Mr. Weasley.

The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary. When they weren't sliding through gaps that normal cars certainly couldn't have managed. They reached King's Cross with twenty minutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found them trolleys, unloaded their trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley, and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an unmoving line at the traffic lights. Skazzy stared.

"Those seem like useful cars," she said, before being jostled by Mr. Weasley as he followed her brother. The two Potters locked eyes, one confused, one resigned, over what the elder Weasley was doing. Harry again mouthed later, and Skazzy scowled. Later was not a word she enjoyed having in her vocabulary. She noticed that the dog had apparently managed to follow them to the station, and she gave it a glare. This was beginning to cross over into the 'strange' category of the magical world, instead of just the 'maybe I've never heard of it'. That category had been recently created by Skazzy after a year of noticing Ginny writing in a strange diary had nearly caused her and her brother, and Ginny and Amity, to be killed. Skazzy had sworn to herself that she was not going to just accept things at face value and putting her lack of knowledge about it to not knowing the wizarding world. Figuring out whether animals were smarter seemed like something important to do.

"Right then," Mr. Weasley said, glancing around them. "Let's do this in pairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry."

Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nine and ten, pushing Harry's trolley and apparently very interested in the InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine. With a meaningful look at Harry, he leaned casually against the barrier. Harry imitated him, as did Skazzy who had caught up to them, giving Mr. Weasley a distrustful look. Harry sighed. After Skazzy had managed to get off on the right foot with Mrs. Weasley, she had decided that Mr. Weasley was untrustworthy. One day, his sister would be less likely to mistrust people. One day. Not that Mr. Weasley was helping his case by acting shifty and sticking to Harry. That was a surefire way to make Skazzy suspicious. It had taken her a few months to accept Ron, and Harry was sure Hermione hadn't had as hard a time because Skazzy had already gotten used to the idea that there were people who she didn't know who hung around her brother.

In a moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid metal onto platform nine and three-quarters and looked up to see the Hogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over a platform packed with witches and wizards seeing their children onto the train.

Percy and Ginny suddenly appeared behind Harry and Skazzy. They were panting and had apparently taken the barrier at a run.

"Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and going pink again. Ginny turned away from Percy, hiding her laughter. Percy strode over to a girl with long, curly hair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss his shiny new badge. Unsurprisingly, there seemed to be a matching new badge that the Ravenclaw was excited to point out to her boyfriend.

Once the remaining Weasleys and Hermione and Amity had joined them, Mr. Weasley led the way to the end of the train, past packed compartments, to a carriage that looked quite empty. They loaded the trunks onto it, stowed Hedwig, Maeve and Crookshanks in the luggage rack, then went back outside to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley kissed all her children, then Hermione, Amity, and finally Harry. He was embarrassed, but really quite pleased, when she gave him an extra hug. She had tried to do the same to Skazzy, but Skazzy had hid behind her brother, and Mrs. Weasley had sighed.

"Do take care, won't you Harry?" she said as she straightened up, her eyes oddly bright. Then she opened her enormous handbag and said, "I've made you all sandwiches. Here you are, Ron... no, they're not corned beef... Fred? Where's Fred? Here you are dear..."

"Harry," said Mr. Weasley quietly, "come over here for a moment."

He jerked his head towards a pillar, and Harry followed him behind it, leaving the others crowded around Mrs. Weasley. Skazzy noticed, and slipped behind Harry. Anything Mr. Weasley could say to her brother, he could say to her, she thought to herself. Mr. Weasley gave her a look, but turned towards her brother, deciding it would just be easier to not start a fight with Skazzy.

"There's something I've got to tell you before you leave..." began Mr. Weasley in a tense voice.

"It's all right, Mr. Weasley," said Harry, "I already know."

Skazzy and Mr. Weasley both stared at him in disbelief.

"You know? How could you know?" Mr. Weasley sputtered, ears turning a bit red. Skazzy raised her eyebrows, and Harry threw her a later sign. She scowled but didn't leave.

"I, er, I heard you and Mrs. Weasley talking last night. I couldn't help overhearing," Harry added quickly.

"That's not the way I'd have chosen for you to find out," said Mr. Weasley looking anxious. Skazzy's scowl darkened. Not only did she not know what was being discussed, but this probably meant she'd be questioned on her deep sleep. Harry would have tried to talk to her about this, and since she didn't remember talking to him last night (or really anything before Amity put far too much food on her plate) it probably meant she hadn't woken up. Not normal, at least not normal for her before she started Hogwarts.

"Honestly it's okay. This way, you haven't broken your word to Fudge and I know what's going on."

"Harry, you must be scared..."

"I'm not," said Harry sincerely. " _Really_ ," he added, because Mr. Weasley was looking disbelieving. "I'm not trying to be a hero, but seriously, Sirius Black can't be worse than Lord Voldemort, can he?"

Mr. Weasley flinched at the sound of the name, but overlooked it. Skazzy raised a brow. 'The wizard on muggle news' she mouthed, and Harry nodded. Skazzy filed the information away. Apparently this guy was more important than she thought.

"Harry, I knew you were, well, made of stronger stuff than Fudge seems to think, and I'm obviously pleased that you're not scared, but..."

"Arthur!" called Mrs. Weasley, who was now shepherding the rest onto the train. "Arthur, what are you doing? It's about to go!"

"They're coming Molly!" said Mr. Weasley, indicating to Skazzy to go but he turned back to Harry and kept talking in a lower and more hurried voice, "Listen, I want you to give me your word..."

"...that I'll be a good boy and stay in the castle?" finished Harry gloomily.

"Not entirely," said Mr. Weasley, who looked more serious than Harry had ever seen him. "Harry, swear to me you won't go _looking_ for Black."

Harry and Skazzy stared, "What!" There was a loud whistle. Guards were walking along the train, slamming all the doors shut.

"Promise me, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, talking more quickly still, "that whatever happens..."

"Why would I go looking for someone I know wants to kill me?" said Harry blankly.

"Harry's not that stupid," Skazzy said, before Harry punched her in the shoulder. "Well, you aren't."

"Swear to me that whatever you might hear..."

"Arthur, quickly!" cried Mrs. Weasley.

Steam was billowing from the train it had started to move. Harry ran to the compartment door and Ron threw it open and stood back to let him and Skazzy on. They leaned out of the window and waved at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley until the train turned a corner and blocked them from view.

"I need to talk to you in private," Harry muttered to Ron and Hermione as the train picked up speed.

"Go away, Ginny," said Ron immediately after Harry said that.

"Oh, that's nice," said Ginny huffily, and she stalked off. Amity looked at the four others and joined Ginny, putting her arm around Ginny's shoulder. From her shoulder Maeve was purring.

Harry, Skazzy, Ron, and Hermione set off down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, but all were full except for the one at the very end of the train.

This had only one occupant, a man sitting fast asleep next to the window. Harry, Skazzy, Ron, and Hermione checked on the threshold. The Hogwarts Express was usually reserved for students and they had never seen an adult there before, except for the witch who pushed the food cart.

The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though quite young, his light brown hair was flecked with gray.

"Who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats farthest away from the window.

"Professor R. J. Lupin." whispered Hermione at once.

"How'd you know that?" Ron asked, goggling at Hermione.

"It's on his case," she replied, pointing at the luggage rack over the man's head, where there was a small, battered case held together with a large quantity of neatly knotted string. The name Professor R. J. Lupin was stamped across one corner in peeling letters.

"Wonder what he teaches?" said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile.

"That's obvious," whispered Hermione. "There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The third years had already had two Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, both of whom had lasted only one year. There were rumors that the job was jinxed.

"Is he dead?" Skazzy asked, going to poke the man. Harry stopped her, making her sit next to him.

"Well, I hope he's up to it," said Ron doubtfully. "He looks like one good hex would finish him off, doesn't he? Anyway..." he turned to Harry, "what were you going to tell us, Harry?"

Harry explained all about Mr. and Mrs. Wesley's argument and the warning Mr. Weasley had just given him. When he'd finished, Skazzy had her eye narrowed with the same cold look she had given Uncle Vernon when they left, Ron looked thunderstruck, and Hermione had her hands over her mouth. She finally lowered them to say, "Sirius Black escaped to come after _you_? Oh, Harry... you'll have to be really, really careful. don't go looking for trouble, Harry..."

"I don't go looking for trouble," said Harry, nettled. "Trouble usually finds _me_."

"How thick would Harry have to be, to go looking for a nutter who wants to kill him?" asked Ron shakily.

"Pretty thick. Which my brother isn't," Skazzy answered. She was busy plotting ways of protecting her brother. Harry sighed.

They were taking the news worse than Harry had expected. Both Ron and Hermione seemed to be much more frightened of Black than he was, and he was quite sure Skazzy needed the warning to not go after a maniac more than he did. She seemed to take great offense that Black had escaped to come after Harry.

"No one knows how he got out of Azkaban," said Ron uncomfortably. "No one's ever done it before. And he was a top-security prisoner too."

"But they'll catch him, won't they?" said Hermione earnestly. "I mean, they've got all the muggles looking out for him too..."

"Do you really think muggles would catch him? I mean, they aren't in the best position to protect themselves from wizards," Skazzy countered. Hermione looked like she was about to argue with Skazzy when they were interrupted.

"What's that noise?" said Ron suddenly.

A faint, tinny sort of whistle was coming from somewhere. They looked all around the compartment.

"It's coming from your trunk, Harry," said Ron, standing up and reaching into the luggage rack. A moment later he had pulled the Pocket Sneakoscope out from between Harry's robes. It was spinning very fast in the palm of Ron's hand and glowing brilliantly.

"How did our luggage know we were here?" Skazzy asked, looking from the luggage that now filled the rack to Hermione. She wasn't paying attention to Skazzy though.

"Is that a _Sneakoscope_?" said Hermione interestedly, standing up for a better look.

"Yeah... mind you, it's a very cheap one," Ron said. "It went haywire just as I was tying it to Errol's leg to send it to Harry."

"Were you doing anything untrustworthy at the time?" said Hermione shrewdly.

"No! Well... I wasn't supposed to be using Errol. You know he's not really up to long journeys... but how else was I supposed to get Harry's present to him?"

"Stick it back in the trunk," Harry advised as the Sneakoscope whistled piercingly, "or it'll wake him up."

He nodded toward Professor Lupin. Ron stuffed the Sneakoscope into a particularly horrible pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks, which deadened the sound, then closed the lid of the trunk on it.

"Are we still sure he isn't dead?" Skazzy asked, since it seemed that Professor Lupin hadn't even twitched at the noise.

"Apparently some people can sleep through anything," Harry said pointedly. Skazzy shut up, looking out the window to avoid her brother's glance.

"We could get it checked in Hogsmeade," said Ron, sitting back down. "They sell that sort of thing in Dervish and Banges, magical instruments and stuff. Fred and George told me."

"Do you know much about Hogsmeade?" asked Hermione keenly. "I've read it's the only entirely non-muggle settlement in Britain..."

"Yeah, I think it is," said Ron in an offhand sort of way. "but that's not why I want to go. I just want to get inside Honeydukes!"

"What's that?" said Hermione.

"It's this sweetshop," said Ron, a dreamy look coming over his face, "where they've got _everything_... Pepper Imps, they make you smoke at the mouth, and great fat Chocoballs full of strawberry mousse and clotted cream, and really excellent sugar quills, which you can suck in class and just look like you're thinking what to write next..."

"But Hogsmeade's a very interesting place, isn't it?" Hermione pressed on eagerly. "In _Sites of Historical Sorcery_ it says the inn was the headquarters for the 1612 goblin rebellion, and the Shrieking Shack's supposed to be the most severely haunted building in Britain..."

"Is it even worth pointing out that Hogwarts has about a hundred thousand ghosts?" Skazzy interrupted.

"...and massive sherbet balls that make you levitate a few inches off the ground while you're sucking them," said Ron, who was plainly not listening to a word anyone else was saying.

Hermione looked around at Harry, after glaring at Skazzy.

"Won't it be nice to get out of school for a bit and explore Hogsmeade?"

"'Spect it will," said Harry heavily. "You'll have to tell me when you've found out."

"What d'you mean?" said Ron, snapping back to attention at that.

"I can't go. The Dursleys didn't sign my permission form, and Fudge wouldn't either."

Ron looked horrified.

" _You're not allowed to come_? But, no way, someone will _have_ to give you permission..."

Harry gave a hollow laugh. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, was very strict.

"...or we can ask Fred and George, they know every secret passage out of the castle..."

"Ron!" said Hermione sharply. "I don't think Harry should be sneaking out of the school with Black on the loose!"

"There are passages out of the castle?" Skazzy asked at the same time. Hermione just stared at her. "Just asking."

"Yeah, I expect that's what McGonagall will say when I ask of permission," said Harry bitterly. "But if _we're_ with him," said Ron spiritedly to Hermione. "Black wouldn't dare..."

"Uh, no offense, but you aren't that scary," Skazzy informed Ron. Ron scowled at her.

"Oh, Ron, don't talk rubbish," snapped Hermione. "Black's already murdered a whole bunch of people in the middle of a crowded street, do you really think he's going to worry about attacking Harry just because _we're_ there?"

She was fumbling with the straps of Crookshanks's basket as she spoke.

"Don't let that thing out!" Ron said, but too late; Crookshanks leapt lightly from the basket, stretched, yawned, and sprang onto Ron's knees; the lump in Ron's pocket trembled and he shoved Crookshanks angrily away.

"Get out of it!"

"Ron, don't!" said Hermione angrily.

"Fight! Fight!" Skazzy began chanting before Harry whacked the back of her head. She scowled, but was quiet.

Ron was about to answer back when Professor Lupin stirred. They watched him apprehensively, but he simply turned his head the other way, mouth slightly open, and slept on.

"Alright, probably not dead," Skazzy said, looking the professor over. "Right?"

The Hogwarts Express moved steadily north and the scenery outside the window became wilder and darker while the clouds overhead thickened. People were chasing backwards and forwards past the door of their compartment. Crookshanks had now settled in an empty seat, his squashed face turned towards Ron, his yellow eyes on Ron's top pocket.

"Are animals in general smarter in the magical world?" Skazzy asked Ron, remembering about the strange dog.

"It's a bloody cat! It isn't smart, it's being a menace!" Ron said, trying to face away from Crookshanks. Hermione and Ron got into a fight about insulting other people's pets while Skazzy frowned. Harry could have sworn he saw Professor Lupin twitch, but watching him for the next ten minutes didn't yield anymore movement. Harry put it down to his imagination.

At one o'clock the witch with the food cart arrived at the compartment door.

"D'you think we should wake him up?" Ron asked awkwardly, nodding towards Professor Lupin. "He looks like he could do with some food."

Hermione approached Professor Lupin cautiously.

"Er, Professor?" she said. "Excuse me, Professor?"

He didn't move.

"Don't worry, dear," said the witch, as she handed a large stack of cauldron cakes. "If he's hungry when he wakes, I'll be up front with the driver."

"I suppose he _is_ asleep?" said Ron quietly, as the witch slid the compartment door closed. "I mean, Skazzy wasn't right, was she?"

"No, no, he's breathing," whispered Hermione, taking the cauldron cake Harry passed her. Skazzy thought she saw Professor Lupin's eyes flutter at that, but no one else seemed to notice.

* * *

Remus Lupin was very good at pretending to sleep. It was almost necessary given who his roommates were in Hogwarts. At first, Remus thought it would be a good way to learn more about the atmosphere at Hogwarts, but when the two Potters ended up in his compartment, he was overjoyed. He could learn about his goddaughter and the boy who would have been like his nephew.

The first topic of conversation was a bit sore. Remus didn't realize that no one would tell Harry or Phoenix how close Black had been to their father. He understood why, but for him it was almost impossible to think about Sirius Black and not think James Potter. He did his best to ignore the topic, and just listen to the voices of Harry and Phoenix. He could almost pretend that everything was perfect, and he was just listening to the two talk about Hogwarts, or what ever interested them, with Peter and either Lily or James would come and interrupt soon...

He was jolted out of that dream when Phoenix asked about whether animals were smarter in the magical world than in the muggle one. Maybe she was just asking about that cat. Hopefully. She didn't say she had met a black dog, and it was possible that Black had forgotten how to be an animagus. Remus knew he should tell someone of Black's form, but there was just a little part of him who wished for everything to go back to how it used to be. He didn't want to tarnish Peter or James' reputation by saying they had been unregistered animagi. He also didn't want people to know why, and was afraid that mentioning Black was an animagus would lead to all those other revelations. However, he wasn't quick enough to stop his twitch at the reminder of animagi. He just made sure he didn't move again.

He knew that they would stop talking if they knew he was awake, and he wanted to hear the voices of the two Potters, to learn more about them. He was doing pretty well too, ignoring the trolley with chocolate, and their attempts to wake him when he heard the other boy in the compartment refer to Phoenix as Skazzy.

He couldn't help himself but open his eyes to make sure that it was the two Potter siblings in the compartment. He briefly glanced at the two across from him before the girl turned to look at him and he closed his eyes. But that one glance was enough to cause him to squirm inside.

It was definitely the Potters. Harry, looking so much like his father and Phoenix like her mother. Except Phoenix only looked like Lily from one side. The left side of her face looked a little inflamed, and her left eye seemed to have suffered from the injury.

What was that? What had happened to her? The last time he saw little Phoenix, she had no scars. Why hadn't anyone freaked out about the injury? Why had no one told him? Did people not know? He was regretting pretending to be asleep, but he figured he could find out what had happened to him at some point during the year.

He might never get another chance to just listen to them talking.

However he was beginning to get the feeling that the two Potters had needed him and he hadn't been there. He had promised Lily and James he would protect their kids. And yet his goddaughter had been viciously injured, and he hadn't known. He would watch over them both this year though. No one would hurt them.

Not even Black.

* * *

He might not be very good company, but Professor Lupin's presence in their compartment had its uses. Mid-afternoon, just as it had started to rain, blurring the rolling hills outside the window, they heard footsteps outside in the corridor again, and their three least favorite people appeared at the door: Draco Malfoy, flanked by his cronies, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle.

Draco Malfoy and Harry had been enemies ever since they had met on their very first journey to Hogwarts. Malfoy, who had a pale, pointed, sneering face, was in Slytherin house; he played Seeker on the Slytherin quidditch team, the same position that Harry played on the Gryffindor team. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to exist to do Malfoy's bidding. They were both wide and muscly; Crabbe was taller, with a pudding-bowl haircut and a very thick neck; Goyle had short, bristly hair and long, gorilla arms.

"Well, look who it is," said Malfoy in his usual lazy drawl, pulling open the compartment door. "Pottys and the Weasel."

Crabbe and Goyle chuckled trollishly.

"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"

Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Skazzy was on her feet as well, wand twitching as she looked the threesome over. Professor Lupin gave a snort.

"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin.

"New teacher," said Harry, who got to his feet, too, holding Skazzy back. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"

Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.

"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared.

Harry and Ron sat down again, Ron massaging his knuckles. Skazzy watched as the Slytherin trio walked down the corridor before Harry grabbed her and made her sit down.

"No fighting them," he hissed at her. Skazzy scowled.

"Not unless they start it," she hissed back.

"I'm not going to take any crap from Malfoy this year," Ron was saying angrily. "I mean it. If he makes one more crack about my family, I'm going to get hold of his head and..."

Ron made a violent gesture in midair. "Ron," hissed Hermione, pointing at Professor Lupin, "be _careful_..." But Professor Lupin was still fast asleep.

The rain thickened as the train sped yet farther north; the windows were now a solid, shimmering gray, which gradually darkened until lanterns flickered into life all along the corridors and over the luggage racks. The train rattled, the rain hammered, the wind roared, but still, Professor Lupin slept.

"We must be nearly there," said Ron, leaning forward to look past Professor Lupin at the now completely black window.

The words had hardly left him when the train started to slow down.

"Great," said Ron, getting up and walking carefully past Professor Lupin to try and see outside. "I'm starving. I want to get to the feast..."

"We can't be there yet," said Hermione, checking her watch. "So why are we stopping?"

The train was getting slower and slower. As the noise of the pistons fell away, the wind and rain sounded louder than ever against the windows.

Harry, who was nearest the door, got up to look into the corridor. All along the carriage, heads were sticking curiously out of their compartments.

The train came to a stop with a jolt, and distant thuds and bangs told them that luggage had fallen out of the racks. Then, without warning, all the lamps went out and they were plunged into total darkness. Skazzy muttered a lumos so everyone could see.

"What's going on?" said Ron's voice from behind Harry.

"Ouch!" gasped Hermione. "Ron, that was my foot! Do you think we've broken down?"

"Dunno..."

There was a squeaking sound as Ron wiped a patch clean on the window and started peering out.

"There's something moving out there," Ron said. "Skazzy, light over here? I think people are coming aboard..."

The compartment door suddenly opened and Neville fell painfully over Harry's legs, covering his eyes as Skazzy accidentally blinded him.

"Sorry! D'you know what's going on? Ouch! Sorry!"

"Hullo, Neville," said Harry, pulling Neville up by his cloak.

"Oh, hullo Harry. What's happening?"

"No idea! Sit down," Harry said. Neville looked around for a place to sit before Hermione grabbed Crookshanks and held him in her lap.

"I'm going to go and ask the driver what's going on," Hermione decided after a few more minutes of confusion, putting Crookshanks in her seat and standing up to leave. Hermione opened the door but didn't get very far before everyone heard a thud and two loud squeals of pain.

"Who's that?" "Who's _that_?" "Ginny?" "Hermione?" "What are you doing?" "I was looking for Ron..." "Come in and sit down..."

Ginny and Amity joined everyone in the compartment, squeezing together next to Skazzy. Maeve was shaking in Amity's arms. Everyone was talking at once, trying to figure out what was going on when they were surprised into silence.

"Quiet!" said a hoarse voice suddenly. Professor Lupin appeared to have woken up at last.

There was a soft, crackling noise, and more light filled the compartment. Professor Lupin was holding a handful of flames, in addition to Skazzy's lumos spell. They illuminated his tired, gray face, but his eyes looked alert and wary.

"Stay where you are." he said in the same hoarse voice, and he got slowly to his feet with his handful of fire held out in front of him.

But the door slid slowly open before Professor Lupin could reach it.

Standing in the doorway, illuminated by the shivering flames in Professor Lupin's hand and Skazzy's spell, was a cloaked figure that towered to the ceiling. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Skazzy's eye darted downward, and what she saw made her stomach contract. There was a hand protruding from the cloak and it was glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like something dead that had decayed in water...

But it was visible only for a split second. As though the creature beneath the cloak sensed someone's gaze, the hand was suddenly withdrawn into the folds of its black cloak.

And then the thing beneath the hood, whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it were trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings.

An intense cold swept over them all. Skazzy felt her own breath catch in her chest. The cold went deeper than her skin. It was inside her chest, it was inside her heart...

Skazzy's spell went out, and her eyes rolled up into her head. She couldn't see. She was drowning in cold. There was a rushing in her ears as though of water. She was being dragged downward, the roaring growing louder...

And then, from far away, she heard a male voice speaking.

"Don't cry little Phoenix, don't cry," the voice was...cooing to her?

"I'm not crying," Skazzy tried to say to the voice. "I never cry. Don't call me that!"

"Nixie!" A female voice pierced through the fog, bringing her back from where ever she had been. She blinked at the lanterns above her as Amity's face swam into focus. Skazzy noticed that her brother was on the floor, drenched in sweat and not responding to Hermione.

"Harry! Harry! Are you all right?" Hermione said, slapping Harry when she didn't get a response.

Harry opened his eyes, and Skazzy noticed the floor was shaking. Apparently the Hogwarts Express was moving again and the lights had come back on. Harry seemed dazed, looking from the seat he must have slid out to the people around him. Ron and Hermione were kneeling next to him, with Neville and Professor Lupin watching. Around Skazzy were Amity and Ginny. The two helped her back into her seat next to her brother, who Ron and Hermione had moved back to his seat.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked nervously, looking from Harry and Skazzy.

"Yeah," said Harry, looking quickly toward the door. The hooded creature had vanished. "What happened? Where's that, uh, that thing? Who screamed?"

"No one screamed," said Ron, more nervously still.

"Who called me Phoenix?" Skazzy demanded, after giving Harry a concerning glance. Professor Lupin definitely winced, but everyone else was pale.

"No one called you Phoenix," Amity answered, looking scared.

"But I heard screaming..."

"Some guy definitely called me Phoenix!"

A loud snap made them all jump. Professor Lupin was breaking an enormous slab of chocolate into pieces.

"Here," he said to Harry and Skazzy, handing Skazzy a particularly large piece, and Harry a slightly smaller one. "Eat it. It'll help."

Skazzy took the chocolate but didn't eat it. Instead, she glared at the chocolate, and everyone around the compartment.

"What was that thing?" Harry asked Lupin.

"A Dementor," said Lupin, who was now giving chocolate to everyone else. "One of the Dementors of Azkaban."

Everyone stared at him. Professor Lupin crumpled up the empty chocolate wrapper and put it in his pocket.

"Eat," he repeated. "It'll help. I need to speak to the driver, excuse me..."

He strolled past everyone and disappeared into the corridor.

"Are you sure you're okay, Harry?" said Hermione, watching Harry anxiously.

"And you, Nixie?" Amity asked again.

"I don't get it... what happened?" said Harry, wiping more sweat off his face.

"Somebody called me Phoenix, and was cooing at me," Skazzy said, staring at the chocolate. "That doesn't make sense."

"Well, that thing, the Dementor, stood there and looked around. I mean, I think it did, I couldn't see its face. And you, well, you sort of..."

"I thought you were having a fit or something," said Ron, who still looked scared. "You both went sort of rigid and fell out of your seats and started twitching..."

"And Professor Lupin stepped over you two, and walked toward the Dementor, and pulled out his wand," said Hermione, "and he said, 'None of us is hiding Sirius Black under our cloaks. Go.' But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away..."

"It was horrible," said Neville, in a higher voice than usual. "Did you feel how cold it got when it came in?"

"I felt weird," said Ron, shifting his shoulders uncomfortably. "Like I'd never be cheerful again..."

Ginny, who was huddled in her corner looking nearly as bad as Harry felt, gave a small sob; Hermione went over and put a comforting arm around her. Amity looked very pale, shuddering and wrapping her arms around herself.

"But didn't anybody else fall off your seats?" said Harry awkwardly.

"No, just you two" said Ron, looking anxiously at Harry again. "Ginny and Amity were shaking like mad, though..."

Skazzy didn't understand. She felt weak and shivery, as though she were recovering from a bad bout of flu. She also felt the beginnings of anger. Why had she gone to pieces like that? And how to make sure it never happened again?

Professor Lupin had come back. He paused as he entered, looked around, and said, with a small smile, "I haven't poisoned that chocolate, you know..."

Skazzy took a bite and to her great surprise felt warmth spread suddenly to the tips of her fingers and toes.

"The hell?" Skazzy asked, looking from the chocolate to her hands.

"We'll be at Hogwarts in ten minutes," said Professor Lupin. "Are you all right, Harry, Phoenix?"

"Fine," Harry muttered, embarrassed. Amity covered Skazzy's mouth to prevent her from yelling at the professor about not liking her name. Skazzy merely nodded instead.

* * *

When the train stopped, Remus knew something was wrong. He hoped it was nothing, but he stayed alert. He wouldn't be surprised if Black tried to take Harry out on the train, before he was safe behind Hogwarts' wards. However, when the lights went out, he knew it wasn't Black. He just hoped that it wasn't who he thought it was. After listening to everyone try and figure out what was happening, he thought he heard something.

He snapped awake, getting ready to protect his goddaughter, his almost-nephew, and his students. And a Dementor opened the door. He wasn't surprised at everyone's reaction to the Dementor, although he was surprised to see how much of an effect it had on the two Potters. He kept forgetting that the two were no longer the happy children he remembered, although he wondered what exactly they had seen, or were remembering. They couldn't remember that night, right?

He managed to protect everyone from the Dementor, and watched in concern as the boy and girl who had originally been in the compartment hovered over Harry, and the two girls who had just entered hovered over Phoenix. He was briefly surprised to note that Phoenix had the Hufflepuff crest on her robes, as did one of the girls while everyone else was in Gryffindor.

He winced when the two Potters described what they heard. A woman screaming, and a man who called Phoenix Phoenix. That was probably not a good sign. He also didn't understand the venom with which Phoenix demanded to know who had called her Phoenix. He broke up his chocolate bar, giving a slightly larger piece to Phoenix than Harry. He had always had a bit of a weak spot for the child his friends had made him godfather of, if only because it meant they trusted him with their children. He left to speak with the driver, and send an owl to Hogwarts. He informed them of the Dementors having taken the initiative to search the train and the two Potters' extreme reaction to the Dementors. He hesitated, then also mentioned Phoenix's wound. If they didn't know about it, then they would at least know and be able to try and heal it.

He tried not to think of what it would mean if they did know about it.

He returned to the compartment to find that no one had eaten the chocolate. He smiled, remembering when he and his friends hadn't trust professors and had tried to solve all their problems on their own, before encouraging everyone to eat. He ignored Phoenix's swear as she looked from her hands to the chocolate in confusion (and definitely not suspicion. That was just his imagination. Why would Phoenix need to be suspicious?) and asked how Harry and Phoenix were.

He didn't understand why the girl covered Phoenix's mouth. It was a simple question.

And the dark look in Phoenix's eye was merely because of the Dementor. It definitely wasn't directed at him, and it couldn't possibly be from anything else. After all, Phoenix had been a happy little child. Very happy.

And as Remus had told himself multiple times over the years, Phoenix and Harry were still living a happy life. Even if they weren't living with their parents. They had to be.

They had to be.

* * *

They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get outside; owls hooted, cats meowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets.

"Firs' years this way!" called a familiar voice. Everyone turned and saw the gigantic outline of Hagrid at the other end of the platform, beckoning the terrified-looking new students forward for their traditional journey across the lake.

"All right, you guys?" Hagrid yelled over the heads of the crowd. They waved at him, but had no chance to speak to him because the mass of people around them was shunting them away along the platform. Everyone followed the rest of the school along the platform and out onto a rough mud track, where at least a hundred stagecoaches awaited the remaining students, each pulled, Skazzy could only assume, by an invisible horse, because when they climbed inside and shut the door, the coach set off all by itself, bumping and swaying in procession.

The coach smelled faintly of mold and straw. Skazzy felt better since the chocolate, but still weak. Ron and Hermione kept looking at Harry sideways, as though frightened he might collapse again. Amity had a tight grip on Skazzy, and Ginny gripped Amity.

As the carriage trundled toward a pair of magnificent wrought iron gates, flanked with stone columns topped with winged boars, Skazzy saw two more towering, hooded Dementors, standing guard on either side. A wave of cold sickness threatened to engulf her again; she leaned back into the lumpy seat and glared at the Dementors until they had passed the gates. The carriage picked up speed on the long, sloping drive up to the castle; Hermione was leaning out of the tiny window, watching the many turrets and towers draw nearer. At last, the carriage swayed to a halt, and Hermione and Ron got out.

As Harry stepped down, a drawling, delighted voice sounded in his ear. "You fainted, Potter? Is Longbottorn telling the truth? You actually fainted?"

Malfoy elbowed past Hermione to block Harry's way up the stone steps to the castle, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously. Skazzy clenched her teeth and glared at the pale boy.

"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron, whose jaw was also clenched.

"Did you faint as well, Weasley?" said Malfoy loudly. "Did the scary old Dementor frighten you too, Weasley?"

"Is there a problem?" said a mild voice. Professor Lupin had just gotten out of the next carriage.

Malfoy gave Professor Lupin an insolent stare, which took in the patches on his robes and the dilapidated suitcase. With a tiny hint of sarcasm in his voice, he said, "Oh, no — er — _Professor_ ," then he smirked at Crabbe and Goyle and led them up the steps into the castle. Skazzy, checking to make sure Professor Lupin couldn't see her, whipped her wand out and cast a tripping hex at Malfoy. She hid a smile as the blonde boy fell, scowling at everyone who was laughing at him and turning red. Amity sighed.

"Let's try not to lose points before we even get to school," she said, giving Skazzy a tired look.

Hermione prodded Ron in the back to make him hurry, and the six of them joined the crowd swarming up the steps, through the giant oak front doors, into the cavernous Entrance Hall, which was lit with flaming torches, and housed a magnificent marble staircase that led to the upper floors.

The door into the Great Hall stood open at the right; Harry followed the crowd toward it, but had barely glimpsed the enchanted ceiling, which was black and cloudy tonight, when a voice called, "Potters! Granger! I want to see you both!"

Harry, Skazzy and Hermione turned around, surprised. Professor McGonagall, Transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor House, was calling over the heads of the crowd. She was a stern looking witch who wore her hair in a tight bun; her sharp eyes were framed with square spectacles. Harry fought his way over to her with a feeling of foreboding: Professor McGonagall had a way of making him feel he must have done something wrong. Skazzy was just frowning, not knowing why the Gryffindor head would want to speak to her. She was almost positive no one saw her curse Malfoy besides Amity.

"There's no need to look so worried — I just want a word in my office," she told them. "Move along there, Weasleys, Miss Fear."

Ron, Ginny and Amity stared as Professor McGonagall ushered Harry, Skazzy and Hermione away from the chattering crowd; they accompanied her across the entrance hall, up the marble staircase, and along a corridor.

Once they were in her office, a small room with a large, welcoming fire, Professor McGonagall motioned everyone to sit down. She settled herself behind her desk and said abruptly, "Professor Lupin sent an owl ahead to say that you were taken ill on the train, Mr. and Miss Potter."

Before either Potter could reply, there was a soft knock on the door and Madam Pomfrey, the nurse, came bustling in.

Harry felt himself going red in the face. It was bad enough that he'd passed out, or whatever he had done, without everyone making all this fuss. Skazzy just scowled at the nurse. She didn't exactly have the best memories of her time in the hospital wing.

"I'm fine," he said, "I don't need anything..."

"He was just exaggerating," Skazzy said, trying to shield herself from Madam Pomfrey's inspection.

"Oh, it's you two, is it?" said Madam Pomfrey, ignoring this and bending down to stare closely at her. "I suppose you've been doing something dangerous again?"

"It was a Dementor, Poppy," said Professor McGonagall.

They exchanged a dark look, and Madam Pomfrey clucked disapprovingly.

"Setting Dementors around a school," she muttered, pushing back Skazzy's hair and feeling her forehead. "They won't be the last one who collapse. Yes, they're all clammy. Terrible things, they are, and the effect they have on people who are already delicate..."

"Delicate!" Skazzy said indignantly.

"I'm not delicate!" said Harry crossly.

"Of course you're not," said Madam Pomfrey absentmindedly, now taking Harry's pulse.

"What do they need?" said Professor McGonagall crisply. "Bed rest? Should they perhaps spend tonight in the hospital wing?"

"I'm _fine_!" said Harry, jumping up.

"I don't need anything from the hospital wing," Skazzy added.

"Well, they should have some chocolate, at the very least," said Madam Pomfrey, who was now trying to peer into Skazzy's eye. "Also, I would like to look at your injury again, Miss Potter."

"We've already had some," said Harry while Skazzy just scowled. "Professor Lupin gave us some. He gave it to all of us."

"Did he, now?" said Madam Pomfrey approvingly. "So we've finally got a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who knows his remedies?"

"Are you sure you feel all right, Mr. and Miss Potter?" Professor McGonagall said sharply.

"Yes," chorused Harry and Skazzy.

"Very well. Kindly wait outside while I have a quick word with Miss Granger about her course schedule, then we can go down to the feast together."

Harry and Skazzy went back into the corridor with Madam Pomfrey, who was busy checking out Skazzy's injury. She tutted, before telling Skazzy that it was healing well. They had to wait only a few minutes more before Hermione emerged looking very happy about something, followed by Professor McGonagall, and the four of them made their way back down the marble staircase to the Great Hall.

It was a sea of pointed black hats; each of the long House tables was lined with students, their faces glimmering by the light of thousands of candles, which were floating over the tables in midair. Professor Flitwick, who was a tiny little wizard with a shock of white hair, was carrying an ancient hat and a three-legged stool out of the hall.

"Oh," said Hermione softly, "we've missed the Sorting!" New students at Hogwarts were sorted into Houses by trying on the Sorting Hat, which shouted out the House they were best suited to (Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin). Professor McGonagall strode off toward her empty seat at the staff table, and the two Potters and Hermione set off in the other direction, as quietly as possible, toward the Gryffindor table. Skazzy pulled away to go sit at the Hufflepuff table, since everyone had to eat at their original house table for the first and last meals. People looked around at them as they passed along the back of the hall, and a few of them pointed at Harry, until Skazzy's glare scared them off.

"What was that about?" Amity asked, concern on her face. "Everything ok?"

Skazzy was about to tell her when the headmaster stood up to speak.

Professor Dumbledore, though very old, always gave an impression of great energy. He had several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose. He was often described as the greatest wizard of the age. Skazzy was a bit skeptical of that, not that she voiced that thought often. Her brother had greater faith in the headmaster than Skazzy did.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and as one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our excellent feast..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "As you will all be aware after their search of the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the Dementors of Azkaban, who are here on Ministry of Magic business."

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds," Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must make it plain that nobody is to leave school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises — or even Invisibility Cloaks," he added blandly, and Harry and Skazzy glanced at each other across the tables. "It is not in the nature of a Dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the prefects, and our new Head Boy and Girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the Dementors," he said.

Dumbledore paused; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.

"On a happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year.

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Skazzy among them after Amity elbowed her. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.

"Look at Professor Snape!" Amity hissed in Skazzy's ear.

Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but Skazzy was startled at the expression twisting his thin, sallow face. It was beyond anger: it was loathing.

"What could he have possibly done while I was with Harry to make Snape hate him?" Skazzy asked.

"He's been looking at him like that since we got here," Amity replied.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

"I guess that should've been obvious," Skazzy said, clapping as Amity looked at her. "Who else would have assigned a biting book?"

"I would have thought he'd written it," Amity said, as she stopped and Hagrid sat down.

"Well, I think that's everything of importance," said Dumbledore. "Let the feast begin!"

The golden plates and goblets before them filled suddenly with food and drink. Amity began filling two plates, one for her and one for Skazzy. Skazzy scowled, but found herself faced with two plates full of food. Apparently Amity wasn't the only person who had decided she was unable to decide what to eat. Heidi Macavoy, a sixth year Hufflepuff prefect, had managed to sit across from Skazzy and had filled out a plate of food. She had taken an interest in the younger Potter, especially when she noticed how little she ate.

Skazzy was forced to eat more than she wanted under both of the stern glares of Heidi and Amity. After the two were happy with what she had eaten, they had begun to chat about their summers, and Skazzy was left to look around the Hall.

For some strange reason, Professor Lupin would keep glancing at the Hufflepuff table. He stopped after Skazzy caught his eyes with her one good one, but Skazzy still wondered why he was watching the Hufflepuff table. That wasn't one of the tables that people generally watched, as very few of the Hufflepuffs got into huge trouble.

At long last, the feast was over and Dumbledore gave the word that it was time for them all to go to bed.

Amity grabbed Skazzy and made sure that she didn't run off, following the other Hufflepuffs to their common room. Skazzy allowed Amity to grab her and drag her to the common room, scowling at the first year Hufflepuffs who were gaping at her face. Amity dragged Skazzy to their dorm room so she couldn't make the first years anymore uncomfortable during the welcome speech. She sat on her bed and turned to look at Skazzy expectantly.

"Yes?" Skazzy asked after a five minutes of Amity staring at her.

"What did your brother say?" Amity asked. "Ginny thought it might be about what happened this summer when you blew up your aunt."

"She's not actually my aunt. And no-ish? Apparently the guy who escaped from Azkaban escaped to go after him. So, us blowing up someone wasn't the problem, it was everyone worrying about the guy getting us," Skazzy said. Amity swallowed.

"Sirius Black escaped to get your brother?" she clarified.

"Apparently," Skazzy shrugged.

"What are you going to do?" Amity asked.

Skazzy turned away from Amity and scowled, eye narrowing. "Make sure nobody hurts my brother. Nobody."

"He killed tons of people," Amity said. "How are you going to stop him?"

"I'll find a way," Skazzy answered, and Amity shivered despite herself. Over the summer she had forgotten how single minded Skazzy could be.

"I hope you don't have to," Amity whispered before getting ready for bed. "I really hope you don't have to."


	6. And the Dog Came Back

Chapter six: And the Dog Came Back (the very next day).

Disclaimer: I do not own Hogwarts, I have not yet received my letter (cross Atlantic trips must be really hard on the owls. I'm sure he's just lost. It will come.) I am also not making any money off of this. I also do not own any annoying song lyrics that have gotten stuck in my head.

Please review and point out mistakes/errors/things you think could have been done better/what you don't like/warn me of any Sues appearing (Besides the ones who already exist in cannon, like Sue Li) or write random words and leave me to try and decrypt the meaning. All criticisms will be read, and I will attempt to fix problems. (But if your complaint is that this is not cannon, well, there isn't much I will do about that.)

Out of curiosity, anyone know how exactly a patronus' form is determined? I know Tonks' changed after she fell in love, but is it based on the memory used? Who makes someone feel safe? Or their personality? Why an otter for Hermione, a horse for Ginny?

* * *

Skazzy did not have a good night sleep. Amity had stayed up talking with her about her summer, and she didn't get a chance to take any dreamless sleep potion before she fell asleep in the middle of Amity's retelling of a great-grandfather's birthday party. Learning about Sirius Black and his possible and most likely aim of killing her brother and being insane did not help. Her dreams were full of bloody bodies, explosions, and everything lead back to _it._ She ended up waking early, and playing with Maeve in the common room waiting for Amity to wake up. She didn't want to go back to sleep, and wasn't sure she could take a potion and be assured of waking up in time for breakfast, or class. Playing with the young kitten was mindless. Heidi was one of the first people up, about two hours later. She gave Skazzy her schedule, as well as a strange look.

"Maeve is Amity's," Skazzy said, misinterpreting the look. Heidi just sighed, and sat down on a chair to handout schedules and walk people to the Great Hall. Skazzy went back to mindlessly playing with the cat. She was too tired to notice that Heidi kept giving her a strange look, and frowning every so often.

Eventually Amity woke up, and Maeve lost her playmate. When Skazzy and Amity entered the Great Hall for breakfast the next day, the first thing they saw was Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a very funny story. Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.

"Is he practicing for when he finds his prince?" Skazzy asked. Amity snorted at that image. They went to join Harry and his friends, who were sitting next to the twins.

"New third-year course schedules," was saying George, passing them over. "What's up with you, Harry?"

"Malfoy," said Ron, glaring over at the Slytherin table. George looked up in time to see Malfoy pretending to faint with terror again.

"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the Dementors were down at our end of the train. Came running into our compartment, didn't he, Fred?"

"Nearly wet himself," said Fred, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.

"I wasn't too happy myself," said George. "They're horrible things, those Dementors..."

"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred.

"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" said Harry in a low voice. Skazzy turned to glare at Malfoy. She itched to cast another spell at him, but decided there were too many witnesses. She continued glaring at Malfoy, before she had an idea. She turned to Amity.

"Who would I talk to if I wanted to spread a rumor?" Amity stared at her.

"Uh, Nixie, what exactly is your plan?" Amity asked, concerned and putting a hand on Skazzy's head. "You are a bit clammy..."

"No, I'm fine. I am! I am! Why does no one ever believe me?" Skazzy complained, trying to fend off Amity's hand as well as her brother's.

"It might work better if you don't look sick. You have a bag under your eye. Also, your face doesn't help" Ron pointed out. Skazzy just glared.

"One tiny little brush with death..." she started, before two hands hit the back of her head. "Ouch!"

"Wasn't exactly little," Harry said, going back to breakfast.

"Definitely wasn't tiny," Amity agreed.

"Who?" Skazzy asked Amity again.

"It'd depend on what you wanted to spread," Amity answered slowly. "You tell me, and I'll decide whether it is appropriate or not."

"Why can't I...fair enough," Skazzy changed what she was going to say after everyone who was listening turned towards her with disbelieving looks. "Malfoy is practicing..."

Amity grinned. "That's totally acceptable, be right back!"

She hurried off to the Hufflepuff table, sitting next to one of their year mates and whispering into her ear. Everyone watched as the girl's eyes got big, and she hurried to talk to someone else. Amity smiled and came back.

"Remind me not to get on Hufflepuff's bad side," George said, as they watched the table come alive. His twin nodded while Amity smiled.

"It probably wouldn't work if he wasn't so disliked. He really hasn't made many friends outside of his house," Amity said.

"He's got friends?" Harry asked dryly, stabbing a piece of bacon.

"How do you know who to talk to..." Skazzy asked, looking from the table back to Amity.

"Didn't you just ask me?" Amity asked, as Ginny snorted.

"I didn't actually expect you to answer. I thought those two might," Skazzy replied, pointing to the twins. "I didn't learn that last year."

"Do you even know the names of our year mates?" Amity asked shrewedly.

"What class do we have first?" Skazzy attempted to change the subject. Amity pulled their schedule out to look at while Hermione was examining her new schedule.

"Ooh, good, we're starting some new subjects today," Hermione said happily.

"Hermione," said Ron, frowning as he looked over her shoulder, "they've messed up your timetable. Look! They've got you down for about ten subjects a day. There isn't enough _time_."

"How many classes are you taking?" Skazzy asked, trying to look at the schedule. Hermione pulled it out of her reach, but Ron managed to get a hold of it.

"I'll manage. I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

"But look," said Ron, laughing, "see this morning? Nine o'clock, Divination. And underneath, nine o'clock, Muggle Studies. And..." Ron leaned closer to the timetable, disbelieving, " _look!_ Underneath that, Arithmancy, _nine o'clock_. I mean, I know you're good, Hermione, but no one's _that_ good. How're you supposed to be in three classes at once?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione shortly. "Of course I won't be in three classes at once."

"Well then..."

"Pass the marmalade," said Hermione.

"Hold on..."

"Oh, Ron, what's it to you if my timetable's a bit full?" Hermione snapped. "I told you, I've fixed it all with Professor McGonagall."

Just then, Hagrid entered the Great Hall. He was wearing his long moleskin overcoat and was absent-mindedly swinging a dead polecat from one enormous hand.

"All righ'?" he said eagerly, pausing on his way to the staff table. "Yer in my firs' ever lesson! Right after lunch! Bin up since five getting' everthin' ready... hope it's okay... me, a teacher... hones'ly..."

He grinned broadly at them and headed off to the staff table, still swinging the polecat. "Wonder what he's been getting ready?" said Ron, a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Dead polecat?" Skazzy hazarded a guess. Everyone glared at her. "Ok, maybe not dead polecat. How to deal with a giant spi..."

Harry covered her mouth. "So, Amity, what classes do you have?"

"Nothing with Gryffindor today, Herbology and Double Potions after lunch, then Astronomy. Well, at least it's not tomorrow. If it weren't for Transfiguration, I'm quite sure your sister would view it as a day off," Amity said, looking at their schedule.

"We have one class tomorrow?" Skazzy asked, dodging Harry's hand. "Nice."

"Technically two, but have you stayed awake for History ever?" Amity asked her. Skazzy shrugged.

"Only when you made me," Skazzy answered. Amity rolled her eyes at that.

The Hall was starting to empty as people headed off towards their first lesson. Ron checked his schedule.

"We'd better go, look, Divination's at the top of North Tower. It'll take us ten minutes to get there..."

The trio finished breakfast hastily, said goodbye to everyone and walked away. This time when they passed the Slytherin table, and Malfoy did his impression, the other three house tables started laughing at him. Malfoy frowned, confused, before he realized he needed to go to class.

"Come on!" Amity cried, grabbing hold of Skazzy and dragging her out while waving good bye to Ginny. "Herbology first!"

The other Hufflepuffs, and the Ravenclaws with whom they were sharing the class joined them. It was a nice day to go to the greenhouses. The sun was shining, unlike the day before, and the Dementors were far enough away that they didn't bother anyone.

Not that that stopped everyone from talking about them. The other Hufflepuffs agreed that it was an unpleasant feeling when Dementors were around, and they hoped that Black was caught soon so that the Dementors didn't need to stay. The Ravenclaws in general agreed, although three of them started a debate about the ethicalness of using Dementors to guard prisoners.

"All I'm saying is that it's inhumane," one of the Ravenclaw boys said. "If we don't want them around us, then we shouldn't leave them around anyone."

"Well, the prisoners should have thought of that before they committed the crimes," a second one disagreed.

"Why have life sentences? A life sentence stuck around Dementors is torture, pure and simple. At least give the prisoner the decency of death, Edric," a girl pointed out.

"No, Ghaliya. Everyone who goes to Azkaban deserves what they get. Do you know what some of the people there have done? Torture, killing! They don't deserve a decent death," Edric disagreed. "They deserve to suffer for what they caused."

"But what about Professor Hagrid? He was sent there last year, and was proven innocent of what he was accused of. Also, that is the single wizarding prison here. Granted, there are many who are serving time due to actions taken during the War, but what about those who merely steal? Do they deserve to suffer?" Ghaliya challenged.

"Why are we still condemning any humans? Because that is something that shouldn't be done. Just because someone made a mistake at one point in their life," the first boy began.

"Bax, your uncle tortured five muggles to death. That's not one mistake. That's deliberate cruelty. That's what should be punished by exposure to Dementors: people who knowingly chose to torture or kill others. I'll give you that Dementors are unnecessary for those who commit a lesser crime, Ghaliya, but those people are not living in the high security area, and aren't exposed to Dementors as much," Edric countered.

"It _is_ still suffering, as we all clearly saw on the train ride over," Ghaliya rebuffed while Bax glared at Edric, avoiding the glances of surprised Hufflepuffs. Skazzy made a note to figure out who Bax was, and whether or not he was a possible threat. She stopped listening to the argument when she noticed something at the edge of the forest, which had come into view. It looked like a relatively large animal. In fact, as Skazzy strained her eye to see, it was a relatively large _familiar_ animal.

"The hell are you doing here?" Skazzy whispered to herself. Amity looked up.

"Did you say something?" she asked. Skazzy looked from Amity back to the forest, but the dog was gone. Maybe it was just her imagination. She hadn't had a very good night, she might be tired and hallucinating, although that didn't bode well for Potions later today.

"Nothing important. Really. Talking to myself," Skazzy answered. They entered Greenhouse Two, with a blonde Ravenclaw girl getting the last word in.

"Daddy says that all the worst prisoners in Azkaban have been replaced, so they can teach the army of Heliopaths their evil deeds. That way the Ministry's army will be better able to take over," the girl said, her eyes unfocused. The other Ravenclaws shook their heads and sighed, while the Hufflepuffs stared at her as if she was crazy.

"Loony," whispered the boy Bax under his breath. Amity frowned at that, and decided to work with the Ravenclaw girl, leaving Skazzy to find a new partner. Skazzy shrugged and picked a bench, figuring someone would come if they needed to. She didn't turn around or listen as the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws got in a fight about who had to work with her. It absolutely did not bother her that she was so disliked. And her allergies were acting up in the Greenhouse, which explained why her eye was red and irritated when a boy came over. Unfortunately for the Ravenclaws, the Hufflepuffs decided to stick together, leaving one Ravenclaw to pair with her.

It wasn't someone she knew, and neither one of them bothered to introduce themselves. Both were intent on getting through the lesson without having to talk. The fact that they were learning about mandrakes was a blessing, since everyone had already done their research on them the year before. _At least that snake was good for something,_ Skazzy thought to herself as she and her partner avoided eye contact.

Her allergies were really bad today. As soon as Herbology was over, she was going inside. No more outdoors today. She was all set to go and find an abandoned classroom and start making more potions, but Amity caught up to her, and dragged her to the common room. They spent the next period working on their potions essay that was due, mostly because Amity was afraid that she might have left something out. When the bell rang to signal lunch, Amity dragged Skazzy to lunch, chattering about how mean all the other Ravenclaws were to poor Luna.

At the Gryffindor table, Harry, Ron and Hermione were already sitting down when Amity and Skazzy joined them.

"Ron, cheer up," said Hermione, pushing a dish of stew toward him. "You heard what Professor McGonagall said."

Ron spooned stew onto his plate and picked up his fork but didn't start.

"Harry," he said, in a low, serious voice, "You _haven't_ seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

Skazzy twitched a bit at that, remembering the dog from the Alley, that was now apparently at Hogwarts.

"Yeah, I have," said Harry. "I saw one the night I left the Dursleys'." Ron let his fork fall with a clatter.

"Probably a stray," said Hermione calmly. Ron looked at Hermione as though she had gone mad.

"Hermione, if Harry's seen a Grim, that's, that's bad," he said. "My, uh, my uncle Bilius saw one and, and he died twenty-four hours later!"

"Coincidence," said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.

"Grim?" Skazzy asked her brother while Hermione and Ron continued arguing. Harry leaned towards her.

"First Divination class. Apparently I'm marked for death because the teacher saw a Grim in my cup," Harry answered in a low voice.

"How accurate is this?" Skazzy asked. Harry shrugged.

"Well, Professor McGonagall claims the Divination professor's been predicting death since she got here, and no one's died. But we did see that dog..." Harry trailed off. Skazzy made a face.

"Well, it's been more than twenty-four hours since we saw the dog at Magnolia Crescent, and neither one of us is dead," Skazzy said, making a mental note to learn about divination. It might be nothing like Hermione thought, or not. Better safe than sorry. "No bird entrails?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" said Ron to Hermione while Amity decided it would probably be safer to find Ginny. He was starting to get angry. "Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

"There you are, then," said Hermione in a superior tone. "They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death! And Harry's still with us because he's not stupid enough to see one and think, right, well, I'd better kick the bucket then!"

Ron mouthed wordlessly at Hermione, who opened her bag, took out her new Arithmancy book, and propped it open against the juice jug.

"I think Divination seems very woolly," she said, searching for her page. "A lot of guesswork, if you ask me."

"Professor Trelawney said you didn't have the right aura! You just don't like being bad at something for a change!"

He had touched a nerve. Hermione slammed her Arithmancy book down on the table so hard that bits of meat and carrot flew everywhere. Skazzy took cover under the table, leaving her brother to fend for himself.

"If being good at Divination means I have to pretend to see death omens in a lump of tea leaves, I'm not sure I'll be studying it much longer! That lesson was absolute rubbish compared with my Arithmancy class!"

She snatched up her bag and stalked away.

Ron frowned after her. "What's she talking about?" he said to Harry and Skazzy. "She hasn't been to an Arithmancy class yet."

"Can she even drop a class? Like, is that actually possible for her to do?" Skazzy asked, watching as she stalked away before deeming it safe to come out from under the table.

"Dunno," Harry shrugged.

Skazzy, since Amity was busy talking to Ginny, saw her chance to escape. "I forgot something in my dorm," she told her brother and Ron, before she left. Harry watched her go, and then found Amity.

"Be back in a sec," he told Ron, before sitting next to Amity. He ignored Ginny's "eep", and turned towards Amity.

"What exactly went on with Skaz last year?"

* * *

In the library, Skazzy went to ask Madam Pince about where divination could be found. After being looked down on and asked why she cared about such a wishy-washy subject, Skazzy was finally pointed in the right direction. She searched through the books, picking out the three that looked most useful, before going to a table in the back and beginning to read.

After twenty minutes, she felt somebody's eyes on her. She looked up, her eye trying to find who it was, to discover that the new Defense teacher was watching her. She raised an eyebrow at that, and he turned away. Maybe it was her injury? If so, then he'd get tired of it soon enough. Hopefully. She went back to reading her books, before putting them away and going to Potions. She wondered if Professor Snape was going to acknowledge her existence this year, or if her year mates were going to hate her on principle for not losing any points in Potions. Not that she cared. Much.

* * *

Remus watched from a distance as Phoenix read a bunch of books on divination. Lily would have been disappointed her children were taking easy classes, although James would be horrified at the fact she was reading up on a class before she needed to. He still had not gotten a satisfying answer as to what had happened to her, although Madam Pomfrey had assured him that she had already done all she could to heal her.

This wasn't suppose to have happened.

* * *

Amity paired up with Skazzy during Potions, which gave Skazzy a brief strange light feeling in her stomach. At least she wouldn't have to be with a Slytherin, although then Snape might then actually admit she existed. It appeared as if Snape was going to pretend she didn't exist. In fact, he had apparently decided that her entire side of the room didn't exist. This confused the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffs, as Professor Snape just wrote the potion on the board, collected summer homework, and sat down and began grading. Nobody dared to make a sound on the Hufflepuff side, for fear that whatever was causing Snape to ignore them would suddenly end with hundreds of lost house points and detention. The Slytherins were muttering to themselves, looking from their head of house to the Hufflepuffs. It was a very silent double period, and the Hufflepuffs were actually surprised to discover that when they were not being stalked by Snape, potions was a whole lot easier.

Nobody exploded anything, or burned a hole through their cauldron. In fact, almost everyone had at least a shade of green for the end result. Not necessarily the deep emerald it was suppose to be, but green nonetheless. Amity bottled their potion and brought it up to the desk as class ended. Everyone packed up quickly and bunched together after class.

"What was that about?" one of the Hufflepuffs asked. "I thought the Professor hated us."

"Yeah, and now he's treating us all like Potter," another one said. Skazzy twitched at that, but Amity lay a calming hand on her.

"Are you complaining? I think that's the best I've ever done before," one of the girls was saying. "If he continues doing that, Potions won't be so bad."

The rest of the Hufflepuffs agreed and went up to the dinner table to tell the unbelieving upper years about their strange potions class. Amity turned to Skazzy.

"Any idea what happened there?" she asked. Skazzy shrugged.

"I don't think I ever figured out why he pretended I didn't exist last year. Maybe he just doesn't want to look at me?" Skazzy suggest, pointing to her almost healed scar. "I mean, it's not exactly pretty."

"Do you think he'll keep doing that?" Amity asked.

"Probably not. I'm sure everything will be back to normal in a few days," Skazzy said, looking at the Hufflepuff table as they went to sit at the Gryffindor one. _Because that will just make the other Hufflepuffs worse, and when has my life ever been good?_

"They wouldn't fire him, would they?" said Hermione anxiously, not touching her steak-and- kidney pudding.

"They'd better not," said Ron, who wasn't eating either.

"Fire who for what?" Amity asked as she and Skazzy sat down. She put a big helping of steak-and-kidney pudding on Skazzy's plate and ignored Skazzy's growl.

Harry was watching the Slytherin table. A large group including Crabbe and Goyle was huddled together, deep in conversation. Harry was sure they were cooking up their own version of how Malfoy had been injured. Hermione explained to Amity what had happened in their class.

"Well, you can't say it wasn't an interesting first day back," said Ron gloomily.

They went to the abandoned classroom they had claimed last year after dinner and tried to do the homework Professor McGonagall or Professor Snape had given them, but the trio and Amity kept breaking off and glancing out of the tower window.

"There's a light on in Hagrid's window," Harry said suddenly.

Ron looked at his watch.

"If we hurried, we could go down and see him. It's still quite early..."

"I don't know," Hermione said slowly, and Harry saw her glance at him.

"I'm allowed to walk across the _grounds_ ," he said pointedly. "Sirius Black hasn't got past the Dementors yet, has he?"

"Not that we know of," Skazzy said distractedly. Harry tugged her robe.

"Not helping. Also, you and I need to talk after this," Harry's gaze was annoyed, and a little concerned. Skazzy had a feeling she wasn't going to like this conversation. She began to try and find ways to avoid it.

So they put their things away and headed out, glad to meet nobody on their way to the front doors, as they weren't entirely sure they were supposed to be out.

The grass was still wet and looked almost black in the twilight. When they reached Hagrid's hut, they knocked, and a voice growled, "C'min."

Hagrid was sitting in his shirtsleeves at his scrubbed wooden table; his boarhound, Fang, had his head in Hagrid's lap. One look told them that Hagrid had been drinking a lot; there was a pewter tankard almost as big as a bucket in front of him, and he seemed to be having difficulty getting them into focus.

"'Spect it's a record," he said thickly, when he recognized them. "Don' reckon they've ever had a teacher who lasted on'y a day before."

"You haven't been fired, Hagrid!" gasped Hermione and Amity, crowding around the drunk Hagrid.

"Not yet," said Hagrid miserably, taking a huge gulp of whatever was in the tankard. "But's only a matter o' time, I'n't, after Malfoy..."

"How is he?" said Ron as they all sat down. "It wasn't serious, was it?"

"Madam Pomfrey fixed him best she could," said Hagrid dully, "but he's sayin' it's still agony... covered in bandages... moanin'..."

"He's faking it," said Harry at once. "Madam Pomfrey can mend almost anything. She regrew half my bones last year. Trust Malfoy to milk it for all it's worth."

"I'm pretty sure I didn't whine about my injury. And his wasn't anything like mine. Err... right?" Skazzy said, having not paid much attention to what Hermione had said beyond Malfoy, injury, and Hagrid's first class.

"School gov'nors have bin told, o' course," said Hagrid miserably. "They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left Hippogriffs fer later... one flobberworms or summat... Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson's all my fault..."

"It's all _Malfoy's_ fault, Hagrid!" said Hermione earnestly.

"We're witnesses," said Harry. "You said Hippogriffs attack if you insult them. It's Malfoy's problem that he wasn't listening. We'll tell Dumbledore what really happened."

"Yeah, don't worry, Hagrid, we'll back you up," said Ron.

"Agreed," Skazzy said, and everyone turned to stare at her. "What?"

"How exactly did you witness our class?" Harry asked dryly.

"Clearly by taking a walk outside, sitting in a tree where no one could see me, and...spying on Hagrid's first lesson?" Skazzy tried. Hermione shook her head, while Amity covered her face with her hands.

"How about we, you know, save your testimony? What if someone saw you wherever you actually were?" Harry pointed out.

"No one...well, I guess the librarian and the new Defense professor saw me," Skazzy sighed, folding her arms. "Why does nothing interesting happen in our classes?"

"The Ravenclaws had a debate about Dementors and insulted Luna, and in Potions Professor Snape ignored everyone," Amity said, crossing her arms. "That's plenty interesting for me. A class shouldn't be interesting based on how much blood is lost."

Skazzy didn't say anything, while Harry and Ron were being grabbed in a hug by Hagrid for 'willin' ta speak up' for him.

"I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," said Hermione firmly after giving the two Hufflepuffs a disbelieving stare. She took the tankard from the table and went outside to empty it.

"Ah, maybe she's right," said Hagrid, letting go of Harry and Ron, who both staggered away, rubbing their ribs. Hagrid heaved himself out of his chair and followed Hermione unsteadily outside. They heard a loud splash.

"Snape did what?" Ron asked Skazzy and Amity. They quietly explained about their Potions class, before Hermione came back in.

"What's Hagrid done?" said Harry nervously as Hermione came back in with the empty tankard.

"Stuck his head in the water barrel," said Hermione, putting the tankard away.

Hagrid came back, his long hair and beard sopping wet, wiping the water out of his eyes.

"That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and drenching them all. "Listen, it was good of yeh ter come an' see me, I really —"

Hagrid stopped dead, staring at Harry as though he'd only just realized he was there.

"WHAT D'YEH THINK YOU'RE DOIN', EH?" he roared, so suddenly that they jumped a foot in the air. "YEH'RE NOT TO GO WANDERIN' AROUND AFTER DARK, HARRY, SKAZZY! AN, YOU THREE! LETTIN' EM!"

Hagrid strode over to Harry, grabbed his arm, and pulled him to the door, before looking around for Skazzy.

"C'mon!" Hagrid said angrily. "I'm takin' yer all back up ter school an' don' let me catch yeh walkin' down ter see me after dark again. I'm not worth that!"

"That's a bit of a turn around," Skazzy muttered to Amity, attempting to dodge Hagrid's grasp and failing. Hagrid had set a brisk pace, and was lecturing Harry on not breaking the rules. Brisk for Hagrid meant a run for everyone else, and they were panting by the time they got to the castle.

"Nex' time, visit durin' the day," Hagrid said, before heading back to his hut.

"Definitely sober now," Ron said in between pants. Skazzy took advantage of Hagrid's distraction to grab Amity and rush to the common room.

"See you tomorrow!" she said, hoping that Harry would forget wanting to talk with her by then. After all, she didn't want to lie about anything to him, but she also didn't want to have to explain whatever it is he wanted to talk about.

They got to the common room, Amity giving Skazzy a strange look. However Amity was distracted by the discussion the other Hufflepuffs were having about how Malfoy must now be practicing being a damsel in distress. Skazzy just went on to the dorm. She sat on her bed, and looked between her bag and her trunk.

To read about divination, or sleep?

She didn't even know why she asked herself that question, as she gathered the last of her bottles of potion. After all, it had been a whole day since she last had taken some, and her dream last night had not been pretty. She would have time during the day tomorrow. Maybe Hermione might buy that she's doing research on her potential courses, or Amity. She put the empty bottles back in her trunk, and went to a blissful deep sleep.

She didn't even stir when Amity tried to get her up for Astronomy that night. Amity frowned. Something was wrong with her friend. Maybe it was related to her near death experience? She made a note to talk to Heidi or Harry or Professor Sprout about her concerns. Especially since Harry had mentioned that being a problem during the summer. _An unforeseen consequence?_ Amity wondered as she joined the other second year Hufflepuffs to go to Astronomy, grabbing Skazzy's summer assignment from her book bag while she was at it. No point in getting in more trouble for turning in the summer assignment late.

She glanced at the books in the bag and frowned.

 _Why would Nixie be studying divination?_


	7. Defense, Strange Potions, and a Feast

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not among the things I own. I'm just borrowing the characters.

TW: THERE IS A MENTION OF EATING DISORDERS IN THIS CHAPTER. Be warned.

* * *

As soon as Skazzy woke up, she knew she had screwed up. No, it wasn't just the note that Amity had left her, detailing how she had informed the Astronomy professor that Skazzy wasn't feeling well. No, it was the sight of Heidi in the doorway, waiting for her to wake up.

"Hey, we need to talk," Heidi said, a serious look on her face. Skazzy had definitely screw something up.

"'Bout what?" Skazzy asked, looking around to find some way to escape.

"Just follow me," Heidi said. Skazzy grabbed her transfiguration books and homework, and followed Heidi out into the common room. It was mostly empty, but Heidi beckoned Skazzy to a corner, where she cast a privacy spell. Heidi turned to look at Skazzy.

"What?" Skazzy tried to act like she normally did, although her darting eyes and nervous twisting of her book bag gave away that she was definitely not feeling okay.

"Well, we could talk about how you aren't sleeping, or how you missed Astronomy, or your lack of an appetite, but I think I first want to ask you a question. Do you want to tell me anything?" Heidi looked Skazzy directly in the eye.

Skazzy thought for a minute. Would telling her something make this go faster and not result in problems? Or would that not work? Heidi was hard to read. It was easier at the Dursley's, you just didn't say anything. Granted, this would not be happening at the Dursley's. What had she done at primary school? Right, stayed alone in a corner. Probably wouldn't help.

"About what?" Skazzy stalled, trying to get more information on what Heidi was really looking for. She couldn't be just asking about what she said, right? She was looking for something else. She had to be.

"Anything at all," Heidi replied firmly. Her face offered no clue that Skazzy could see, no answer to the question of what do you _want_ to hear.

"Sirius Black escaped to kill my brother?" Skazzy said hesitantly. Multiple people knew that, right? And the staff knew since Hagrid had been mad about them visiting yesterday, so maybe the prefects knew? Or at least the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff ones. She noticed Heidi's eyes widen marginally at this, and inwardly cursed. Nope, prefects did not know.

"And this is making you nervous?" Heidi asked when Skazzy didn't continue. Skazzy nodded, happy that Heidi had grabbed control of the conversation. Much easier to not give away secrets when you just have to answer questions. "It explains your appetite and sleep this semester."

"Nightmares the first night, and was exhausted so I forgot about Astronomy," Skazzy agreed. Most of that was the truth. She did have a nightmare, and she did forget about Astronomy, and it was probably most definitely exhaustion that caused that. Not an addiction to dreamless sleep potions. Nope. Ridiculous.

"Doesn't explain your eating last year," Heidi said. "Do you have an eating disorder?"

Skazzy looked at Heidi, genuinely confused. "A what?"

"Eating disorder. It's a mental illness that can cause people to not eat enough food," Heidi answered. "If you do, I want you to know you aren't alone."

"Of course I'm not alone, I have my brother," Skazzy response was conditioned to the word alone. Her mouth said that even as she was trying to figure out what was going on.

"I meant alone in having problems eating. Does your brother have a problem?" Heidi asked, giving Skazzy a searching glance.

"No, no. Last year I was just nervous, what with first year of school, and Basilisk, and idiots blaming my brother..." Skazzy said, casting about for an excuse. If nervousness explained the eating this year, then it might explain last year. "I was just nervous."

"So, your nervousness is causing you to lose your appetite? It isn't anything else?" Heidi asked again. Heidi felt that Skazzy wasn't being completely truthful, although it was sometimes hard to read her. She wasn't like most people, and people in the house still had problems with her. She had been designated the 'Potter Prefect' because no one else had wanted to deal with her. Heidi had been hoping that the summer would mellow Skazzy out, and that she'd come back with an open mind, but it was looking like Skazzy was just not going to follow the house in this way. She was too concerned about her brother. This couldn't possibly be healthy, but it wasn't like she could do anything to stop her from following him around.

"Nope," Skazzy said, the lie slipping off her tongue. Heidi pursed her lips.

"Okay, but I'm telling you, and I'm going to tell Amity the same thing so you won't forget, I want you to try and eat more. Here's a list of the types of food I would like you to try and eat at every meal. You don't have to eat a lot in the beginning, but I would like to see some improvement by the next month in your eating. The Dementors are here so we don't have to worry. Otherwise, I'm going to go to Madam Pomfrey.

Skazzy took the list, hiding her scowl. Apparently plan 'don't eat more than you'd get at the Dursley's' was a no go. She didn't want to have to go back to the hospital wing. Not ever for the rest of Hogwarts. Amity walked out of the dorm, and Heidi broke the privacy spell. Heidi gave a copy of the list to Amity, as well as a brief explanation. Amity nodded, then they headed out to breakfast.

Since their first class wasn't until the afternoon, Skazzy escaped from Amity and found one of her abandoned classrooms from last year. She set up her cauldron, and started to make more dreamless sleep potions. She would have to be a bit more careful when taking the potions. Another incident might actually get someone involved. And really, this was for the best, for everyone.

Dreaming never did anything helpful anyways.

After she made enough of the potion to last her a couple months, she dropped the potions off in her trunk and headed to lunch. Skipping meals was something she couldn't afford to do now, at least not without good reason. She happened upon Ron and her brother coming back from a double potions period.

"Where's Hermione?" Skazzy frowned, looking around for the girl who was usually with them.

"She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning.

Malfoy passed them, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Harry and disappeared. Skazzy watched him go, eye narrowed. Clearly, something had happened between him and her brother. Before she could ask about it, Harry found Hermione.

"There she is," said Harry.

Hermione was panting slightly, hurrying up the stairs; one hand clutched her bag, the other seemed to be tucking something down the front of her robes.

"How did you do that?" said Ron.

"What?" said Hermione, joining them.

"One minute you were right behind us, the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh, I, uh, I had to go back for something. Oh no!"

A seam had split on Hermione's bag. That really wasn't surprising; it was crammed with at least a dozen large and heavy books. Skazzy leaned down to help pick them up, glancing at the different books. Well, at least she'd know what to take and what not to take of the electives next year. She'd just have to ask Hermione.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked Hermione, staring at the scene.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," said Hermione breathlessly. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"

"But..." Ron was turning over the books she had handed him, looking at the covers. "You haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh yes," said Hermione vaguely, but she packed all the books back into her bag just the same. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and she marched off toward the Great Hall.

"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and Skazzy. They both nodded and joined Hermione sitting at the Gryffindor table. Amity joined them, asking Hermione questions about her new classes.

"What happened this morning?" Skazzy asked her brother. He and Ron both scowled.

"Malfoy. Not only is he faking his injury to get Hagrid in trouble, but for some reason thinks I should want revenge on Black," Harry answered. Skazzy frowned.

"Why? Did he do something to us?" Skazzy asked. Harry shrugged.

"You know as much about him as I do. I have no idea what he could have been talking about," Harry replied.

"I told you, it was just Malfoy trying to get you in trouble," Ron said. "He just wants you to do something stupid since Black was spotted nearby."

"Nearby? How close?" Skazzy asked.

"Dunno, Seamus said it wasn't too far," Harry said, stabbing his food. He had apparently forgotten whatever he had wanted to talk to her about after the awful class he had just had. Skazzy went back to eating, wanting to scowl when Heidi caught her eye from the Hufflepuff table and smiled. She was not happy.

Since she and Amity had Transfiguration next, they headed off to class. Professor McGonagall was as strict as ever, watching everyone like a hawk as they reviewed what they had learned the year before. Amity and Skazzy didn't struggle as much as some of their classmates, but the Ravenclaws in the class certainly put them to shame. House of knowledge indeed.

History of Magic was also boring, although Skazzy didn't notice that. She had tried to sleep for the first fifteen minutes, but even Binns' monotonous voice couldn't make her tired. She felt strangely wired. Instead, she pulled out one of her books on divination and resumed her research. She managed to block out Binns' droning while she was reading.

Her brother was not marked for death. Not if she could help it.

* * *

Amity watched Nixie as she worked. Something was wrong, she knew that, Nixie knew that, Harry knew that, and Heidi knew that. Nixie was doing something. She hadn't told her brother about all her problems adapting (or not) to Hufflepuff. Hadn't told him she wasn't sleeping in the dorm most of the time. She wasn't eating much, still. And her sleeping habits were...irregular at best. Harry had mentioned she slept through the trip on the Knight Bus with no problem. She had been half awake at breakfast the day the went to Hogwarts. She had had a nightmare the night they were back, but not yesterday, and Harry said she had one only a few times during the summer.

Amity remembered when Nixie first woke her up with a nightmare. She hadn't known what to do, so she froze. The scream had been horrifying. What was worse, was Nixie didn't wake up. Not immediately. When she did, she brushed it off, and one of the older members of the house placed a silencing charm around her bed so that no one would be woken up by her nightmares.

She had stayed up a few times to watch her friend, hoping it was a one time thing. Instead, she noticed that Nixie had nightmares far too often. That they would all just disappear...

Amity really hoped Nixie knew what she was doing.

And couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't.

Or did and didn't care.

She didn't know which would be worse.

* * *

At supper the Gryffindor third-years were excitedly talking about their first Defense class. Skazzy was listening intently, since she had noticed the professor appeared to stare at her.

"He's really cool!" one of Harry's year-mates said, a boy Skazzy had never bothered to learn the name of.

"He taught us a spell to use against Peeves, and taught a decent Defense class," Ron said, eyes shining.

"What happened?" Amity asked, curious about the new professor.

"He introduced us to a boggart. It's this creature that can, well, change into what a person fears the most. And then we had to use a spell to defeat it. Neville had the best response," Harry said, smiling at him. Neville was a bit red from all the attention.

"What?" Amity asked Neville, eager to learn.

"Well, his boggart was Snape, which isn't a surprise. But you defeat boggarts by laughing at them. No, I am not joking. So you have to picture something funny, and say 'riddikulus'. Then the boggart becomes the amusing thing. So Neville put Snape in his grandmother's clothes," Hermione explained when Neville didn't answer. "So he was wearing this ridiculous stuffed vulture hat, a horrid green dress, a bright red handbag, and a scarf."

The Weasley twins heard that and laughed.

"Good on you Neville," one of them said, patting the boy on the back.

"Wish I could have seen it. D'you reckon there's another boggart somewhere where we can watch Neville get rid of it? Maybe more than one. I bet if we charged everyone to see Snape in a dress..." the other twin said thoughtfully.

"Everyone but the Slytherins would come," the first twin finished. Hermione frowned.

"I'm pretty sure that Neville won't have time for that," she said, sending the twins a disapproving look. They shrugged and turned back to their conversation.

"What was your boggart?" Amity asked Hermione. She turned pink.

"I didn't get a chance to face it," Hermione answered. Amity turned to Harry, who shook his head.

"Me either. He jumped in front of me, like he didn't want me to face it," Harry said.

"Why wouldn't he?" Amity asked.

"Dunno, maybe because I fainted on the train and he didn't think I was up to it," Harry answered, stabbing at his food.

"Well, that's probably not it. I'm sure he doesn't think less of you for fainting," Hermione said, trying to make Harry feel better. "Maybe he just wanted to give Neville a chance to shine."

Harry snorted, and resumed eating dinner. Amity smiled.

"Well, we have him first tomorrow!" she said excitedly. Skazzy merely nodded.

* * *

Word had gotten around fast about what Professor Lupin had done with his third-years. The other Hufflepuff second years were trying to guess what they would be learning about. Would they have a practical class as well?

They actually did. As all the students filtered in after breakfast, a cage of Cornish pixies could be seen on the desk. Amity pulled Skazzy to the front of the room and sat down, excited to start class. Ginny sat on Amity's other side, also looking excited. Skazzy just looked at the pixies.

"I guess Lockhart was trying to teach before he realized he couldn't," Skazzy said, remembering the tales of the Gryffindor second year class. Amity frowned at her, no doubt going to scold her for what she said about a professor, but Professor Lupin entered the room.

"Hello class."

* * *

She was sitting in the front row, looking bored. Her friend was sitting beside her, looking excited. He felt a little hurt that Phoenix wasn't more interested, but this was James Potter's daughter: he did like goofing off more than learning. Then again, he had watched her read about Divination.

He decided not to focus on that. He began roll call. When he came to Phoenix's name, he smiled. She had not been planned, a surprise. Lily and James wanted a little more time with Harry before another child, and had hoped Voldemort would be defeated before they brought more life into the world. Instead, there was Phoenix. He remembered the discussion about names they had, not being able to agree on anything. Lily had wanted to name the child Anthony if it was a boy, and Heather if it was a girl, to continue her family's trend of flower related names. James wanted to name the child Charlus or Dorea after his parents.

In fact, when it came time for the child's birth, neither of them had backed down, and Sirius...Black had joked that the child would end up nameless, that Lily and James were great at magic for the Order of the Phoenix but terrible at parenting. Lily had been all set to hex him when James smiled.

"Phoenix Potter..." he had said, and Lily smiled. "Phoenix. Because this child is why we're doing this. This child and Harry and every other child being born or that has been born. They are our hope and future."

It was one of the few times James had been serious, and baby Harry had clapped his hands from where Peter was holding him.

"And you'll be the godfather Remus," Lily said, smiling at him. "Next kid is yours, Peter."

They had no idea what was coming, that Peter would never get even his own kids. But in that moment, all of them had felt hope and happiness. It was a bright spot in a dark time.

And Black ruined it.

"Potter, Phoenix," he called out.

"Skazzy. I prefer to be called Skazzy," she answered, still staring at the pixies with her eye. Remus nodded, hiding his hurt.

Skazzy was clearly in no way related to Phoenix. It didn't share any letters. Looking at Phoenix Potter now, Remus admitted to himself she perfectly represented what his life had become. Something hopeful, and then ruined. He hoped he could call her Phoenix at some point, because he longed to remember when everything was simpler and he wasn't alone. But he had a lesson to teach.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the lesson, and Phoenix even participated a bit at her friend's urging. But sometimes during the lesson, he'd notice that her gaze would change, as if she was evaluating him, trying to figure him out. He felt hurt that she felt the need to do that, that her life was not what it should have been.

 _I hope they catch Black and give him the Kiss_ , he thought ruthlessly in his mind. _He deserves it for what he stole from the Potters. And me._

* * *

After the lesson Skazzy was packing up her books, getting ready to go to potions and hope that things would be normal. Before she left the classroom, Professor Lupin called her name.

"Miss Potter? May I have a moment?"

She scowled for a second before turning around to face the professor.

"I have Potions next, and I'd rather not find out what would happen if I were late," she answered, wondering why the professor was so interested in her. Did he think that he could get to her brother through her? All other Defense teachers had not had good intentions towards him.

"How did you get that scar?" he asked, eyes flicking to the scar and back.

She stared at him for a minute, wondering why he wanted to know. "Basilisk." And with that, she was out the door and heading to Potions. _It was true_ , she defended to herself. _It was a basilisk's fault._ But she knew that wasn't the answer he wanted. She just didn't see the point in telling him. Either the teachers would tell him, or they wouldn't. No point in giving away more than she intended.

* * *

A basilisk. Remus' heart had stopped. The rumors about last year at Hogwarts had been true? He knew that he was here to protect the Potters, because he knew Black the best, but a basilisk? Why hadn't Dumbledore told him?

She had left by the time Remus was able to pull himself together, and his next class started coming in. He walked in a daze to his desk to double check what he was suppose to be teaching the class.

At least one of Lily and James' children had faced a basilisk and survived.

Definitely wasn't in the original plan for her life that her parents had.

* * *

Despite her distrust of the professor, Skazzy did have to admit he was a better professor than Lockhart and Binns. In no time at all, Defense Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favorite class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin.

He did an excellent job teaching them what they should have learned the year before, as well as what they should be learning this year. They didn't get to face a boggart, to Amity's dismay, but they were definitely learning.

And Snape had gone back to just ignoring Skazzy, and picking on the rest of her classmates. Skazzy felt anger towards him, because what he was doing was worse than what he did to Harry, and it didn't make sense. Why would he ignore her, and torment Harry in class? At least Harry had the support of his house.

Skazzy found it a bit ironic that the house of the brave was showing more solidarity than the house of the loyal. But she had learned a bit about Hufflepuff in her first year. They were loyal, to the house, to whatever their ideals were, but if you were out of step with them, they viewed you with distrust. She knew she was not the most sociable person, or even really nice so she could understand why they reflected back what she showed them.

Harry had the backing of his house because he was obviously the target of unfair anger or prejudice. She didn't because he wasn't doing anything to her. At all. And it was that absence of abuse that had added to her decrease in popularity the year before. After all, when everyone in your house is subject to the same treatment, or worse, nobody blames anyone for disliking the class or losing points. But if one person is treated better by the professor, in this case ignored, then it gave students someone to focus their anger on instead of the teacher. After all, it's not like anyone could ever say anything to Snape to his face, but Skazzy on the other hand. She was fair game.

And Skazzy was reminded of the reasons she had ditched the dorm the year before, as she heard the whispers among the Hufflepuffs, as she saw the furtive glances. Never in public, because Hufflepuffs did not often get in fights unless another house started it. But in the common room, in the dorm, at the table, whenever she wasn't with Amity, she would be teased or taunted.

She let it all wash over her, ignored it. She didn't complain to anyone, because she knew it wouldn't change anything. It would just make it worse. And besides, like she knew last year, she didn't come here to make friends. She came to learn how to protect her brother, and get revenge. That was all she needed. Anything more was a bonus, not a necessity. She only needed her brother, no one else. As far as she remembered, there had been nobody else. Not until Hogwarts, and a year apart.

 _And besides_ , she thought to herself, _sometimes I do deserve what they say._

She used her time to study divination, learning about tessomancy and seers and prophesies. She learned enough to allow her to accept Hermione's belief that the teacher was a fraud. Divination was inexact, not perfect. And Professor Trelawney did not sound like what a true seer should be. So she allowed herself to relax, and focus on her other project: animals, and their behavior in the wizarding world as opposed to the muggle one.

She had found a few promising leads, like kneazles, crups, jarveys, and gnomes. Clearly there were some creatures that were smarter than animals in the muggle world. Perhaps that dog was just a cross of a crup and some muggle dog. She would need to look up whether that was possible. She didn't want to assume anything.

She also did some research on Grims as well. No assumptions. Trelawney may not be good at divination, but that didn't mean that it couldn't be true.

She did this and tried to manage taking her dreamless sleep potions. She had discovered that if she didn't have at least one dose in twelve hours, her hands would begin to shake. In twenty-four hours, it became hard for her to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes, the shaking would become worse and she would be unable to sit still.

And now, one dose didn't even put her to sleep. She knew that that was probably a bad sign, but she didn't want (couldn't) to stop. When she used the potion to get dreamless sleep, she slept well. No nightmares, and she slept for most of the night. And it was getting harder to hide this from everyone. Amity was staying closer to her, watching her. Heidi was watching as well, and Harry even if he had never managed to find a time to pull her aside since his quidditch practices had started was watching her too. She was running out of supplies, and running out of excuses. She knew that if a giant package came to her, the three people watching her would want to know what she got. Even a small package would be suspicious since everyone knew that the only person she was close to was already at the school. No pretending it was something from a loving family.

She needed to find a solution soon.

She didn't have much time.

* * *

Harry had plenty of time practicing quidditch for the upcoming season. Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor captain, was in his last year at Hogwarts and wanted to win the cup. He wasn't alone, as the rest of the team shared his vision of a Gryffindor win. Full of determination, the team started training sessions, three evenings a week. The weather was getting colder and wetter, the nights darker, but no amount of mud, wind, or rain could tarnish Harry's wonderful vision of finally winning the huge, silver quidditch cup.

Harry and Skazzy stopped by the Gryffindor Common Room, where Harry was dropping off his broom and getting Ron and Hermione to go to their classroom to study until curfew. Skazzy already had all her things, having been doing some of her extracurricular activities during a time she knew no one would be watching her. Harry had convinced Skazzy she didn't need to go to his practices, so now she would meet him in the Great Hall and walk back to Gryffindor with the team. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione came out, Harry was scowling.

"What?" Skazzy asked, falling in with the three.

"Hogsmeade weekend," Harry said shortly. Skazzy nodded and they continued walking. They reached the room and had sat down and starting doing homework when Skazzy noticed the door opening.

"Hermione, I think the demon tiger has something to show you," she said, eyeing the cat. He seemed smart, knowing where his mistress was. Kneazles could be bred with cats, was he part kneazle? Whatever he was, a large, dead spider was dangling from his mouth.

"Does he have to eat that in front of us?" said Ron, scowling.

"Clever Crookshanks, did you catch that all by yourself?" said Hermione.

Crookshanks slowly chewed up the spider, his yellow eyes fixed insolently on Ron.

"Just keep him over there, that's all," said Ron irritably, turning back to his assignment, a star chart. "I've got Scabbers asleep in my bag."

They managed a few minutes of peace, before Crookshanks decided it was too quiet. Or that the spider wasn't enough. Either way, Crookshanks took it upon himself to attack Ron's bag.

"OY!" Ron roared, seizing his bag as Crookshanks sank four sets of claws deep inside it and began tearing ferociously. "GET OFF, YOU STUPID ANIMAL!"

Ron tried to pull the bag away from Crookshanks, but Crookshanks clung on, spitting and slashing.

"Ron, don't hurt him!" squealed Hermione. Ron whirled the bag around, Crookshanks still clinging to it, and Scabbers came flying out of the top

"CATCH THAT CAT!" Ron yelled as Crookshanks freed himself from the remnants of the bag, and chased after the terrified Scabbers.

Skazzy made a lunge for Crookshanks but missed. However, the distraction Skazzy caused gave Scabbers a chance to find a place where the cat couldn't get him. Crookshanks skidded to a halt, crouched low on his bandy legs, and started making furious swipes trying to reach the rat.

Hermione grabbed Crookshanks while Ron managed to coax Scabbers back out. Harry and Skazzy began packing things up. It looked like Ron and Hermione were going to fight, and work would not get done.

"Look at him!" Ron said furiously to Hermione, dangling Scabbers in front of her. "He's skin and bone! You keep that cat away from him!"

"Crookshanks doesn't understand it's wrong!" said Hermione, her voice shaking. "All cats chase rats, Ron!"

"There's something funny about that animal!" said Ron, who was trying to persuade a frantically wiggling Scabbers back into his pocket. "It heard me say that Scabbers was in my bag!"

Skazzy raised an eyebrow. So, did Ron just not have any experience with kneazles, or was he right? Or did he just think Crookshanks was a cat? Either way, Skazzy wasn't going to ignore someone who grew up in the wizarding world saying that something was strange. Apparently Skazzy was going to be studying kneazles more in depth. She'd probably be over prepared for Care of Magical Creatures at this point. According to her brother, Hagrid was just teaching them about flobberworms.

"Oh, what rubbish," said Hermione impatiently. "Crookshanks could _smell_ him, Ron, how else d'you think..."

"That cat's got it in for Scabbers!" said Ron angrily. "And Scabbers was here first, _and_ he's ill!"

Ron grabbed his stuff and left. Hermione, after packing her things away did the same. Leaving Harry and Skazzy alone, something she had managed to avoid up until now. Well, she wasn't getting out of it now.

Harry looked at her. "So, I talked with Amity about your first year."

Skazzy nodded, already knowing she wouldn't like the direction this conversation would go.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want to worry you, and it's not that big a deal," Skazzy said, wincing at her brother's look.

"There was a monster on the loose," Harry pointed out.

"Point. So not sleeping in Hufflepuff was not smart, I will give you that," Skazzy agreed. Admittedly she did not think much about her own safety, but she knew saying anything like that would just make the situation worse.

"And not telling me?"

Skazzy hesitated, looking at Harry with a vulnerable look. "It means a lot to you."

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"Hogwarts. It means a lot to you. You enjoyed your first year, you made friends. I didn't want to tell you because I thought it would make you upset, that I wasn't enjoying it like you," Skazzy said, looking at the floor. "And it didn't really seem important to tell you, it's nothing we haven't dealt with before."

"You should get to know the people in your house. You do have to live with them," Harry said, sighing. Of course his sister wouldn't think anything was wrong if the only people who tolerated her were her brother, his friends, and Amity. Damn the Dursleys. "How about eating at least one meal at the Hufflepuff table a day. Then you can actually talk to them, and maybe make more friends."

Skazzy thought that was being a bit too hopeful, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She merely nodded and they went their separate ways. Skazzy could feel her brother's gaze on her as she walked away.

At least he hadn't asked about sleep. She still needed to figure something out about that.

She needed to talk to Hedwig.

She entered the common room and went straight to her dorm. She was almost at the twelve hour mark, and she was beginning to feel the shakes coming on. She took one dose, and then heard someone behind her. She hid the vial in her robe pocket, before turning around to see who it was.

"Hey! Sorry I left you, but I was meeting with Ginny and Luna to go over Defense," Amity said. The fact that Skazzy wouldn't have gone with her even if she had been asked was left unsaid. "Have you finished Herbology?"

Skazzy shook her head. Amity smiled brightly. "We still have some time, I'm working on it out here."

With that Amity bounced away, with a cheerful goodnight to the other girls who were coming back to the dorm, most likely for sleep. Skazzy started getting her Herbology stuff.

"Amity shouldn't have to apologize for anything," one of the girls said. Skazzy tensed and looked behind her. The three girls were glaring at her. "Amity hasn't done anything wrong."

"I didn't ask for an apology," Skazzy defended herself. "I can't tell her what to say."

"But you clearly made her feel like she can't hang out with other people without apologizing, and you never do no matter how many times you just leave her," the second girl said. "Otherwise, why would she apologize?"

Skazzy bit back the comment that she hadn't done anything to make Amity feel one way or the other.

"I don't understand why she's even friends with you," the third girl said, and the other two nodded. "She deserves a better friend."

"I know," Skazzy said quietly, before leaving the dorm to study with Amity.

Amity started chatting, talking about what Ginny and Luna had been getting up to while they were looking things up. Apparently Ginny had managed to make friends with some of the girls in her year after a year of being isolated, and Colin was her best friend. Skazzy listened, glad that Amity didn't actually expect her to talk back in general. When the prefects told everyone it was time for bed, she quietly grabbed her stuff and dropped it off in her room. She grabbed a few vials, and went into the bathroom, hiding the vials in her clothes. She took a shower.

She felt tears slide down her cheeks, despite the fact that she didn't care what other people thought. She didn't cry. She never cried. It showed weakness. And she was strong. She was able to withstand whatever was thrown at her without flinching.

She had to be.

So as the not-tears ran down her face, she closed her eyes and violently shampooed her hair. Strong. She was strong. She was strong. She didn't care about what other people thought, she didn't need friends no matter how much other people told her she was wrong. She didn't need anyone except Harry. She had survived _it_ , so she was strong.

Being weak wasn't an option.

By the time she was clean, and the not-tears were gone, she changed and took her potions. She slipped into the dorm room and into her bed, turning away from Amity.

She was strong.

* * *

Ron had apparently still not forgiven Hermione the next day. Harry looked miserable sitting between the two. Skazzy felt a little bad for her brother, but knew that she wouldn't understand what it was like to be in the middle of a fight with two people you cared about. She only had Harry. And Amity, but mostly Harry.

She couldn't imagine fighting with Harry. She would probably distract him from a topic, or agree externally, but she would never do what Hermione and Ron were doing. She didn't think she could stand it if they weren't talking. No, she knew she would be unable to stand it if they weren't talking. Amity was nice, and Skazzy could admit to herself, after about a year, that it was nice to have someone in class who didn't dislike you and sort of cared about you, but she wasn't Harry.

(She didn't think she could survive another year apart from him.)

She was distracted from her thoughts by a mad Ron. Apparently Professor McGonagall had refused to sign the form for Harry, so he was stuck in the castle for the weekend. There was nothing to be done. Ron called Professor McGonagall a lot of names that greatly annoyed Hermione, while Hermione assumed an 'all-for-the-best' expression that made Ron even angrier.

"There's always the feast," said Ron, in an effort to cheer Harry up. "You know, the Halloween feast, in the evening."

"Yeah," said Harry gloomily, "great."

Skazzy stayed quiet while Ron and Hermione tried to cheer Harry up. She had never been to the Halloween feast before, and couldn't visit Hogsmeade as she was a second year.

"Maybe next year?" she tentatively added as they were leaving dinner. Harry just scowled.

* * *

On Halloween morning, Skazzy noticed that Harry was not okay. He seemed to be pretending for his friends, but Skazzy knew him better. She sat next to him, silently listening to the others talking.

"We'll bring you lots of sweets back from Honeydukes," said Hermione, looking desperately sorry for Harry.

"Yeah, loads," said Ron. He and Hermione had finally forgotten their squabble about Crookshanks in the face of Harry's difficulties.

"Don't worry about me," said Harry, in what Skazzy recognized as a fake offhand voice, "I'll see you at the feast. Have a good time."

He and Skazzy accompanied Ron and Hermione to the entrance hall, where Filch, the caretaker, was standing inside the front doors, checking off names against a long list, peering suspiciously into every face, and making sure that no one was sneaking out who shouldn't be going.

"Staying here, Potter?" shouted Malfoy, who was standing in line with Crabbe and Goyle. "Scared of passing the Dementors?"

Harry ignored him and made his way up the marble staircase. Skazzy looked at him, then Malfoy.

"Have you finally perfected being a damsel in distress?" Skazzy asked, a vicious smile on her face. Malfoy's face darkened.

"Are you the one who..." he started, turning red as students around him laughed at the rumor that had died down after the first week of classes. Skazzy ignored him and left, catching up to Harry. They seemed to be heading to the library, when Harry sighed. Skazzy looked at him.

"I don't think I'm going to be good company today," Harry told her. Skazzy shrugged.

"I'm pretty sure most people would think I'm horrible company every day," she said. "Besides, I need practice with some of my defense spells. Casting with Amity won't help as much as it would with you, since you are suppose to know the spells and can tell me what I'm doing wrong."

"I'm not Hermione," her brother replied, a half smirk forming on his face. "I get to practice on you?"

"Only fair," Skazzy said, eye gleaming with mischief. The other one, which Harry still couldn't help but wince when he saw it, was just misty. Nonfunctional. Weird. And a reminder that Skazzy had almost died.

As they were wandering looking for a good place to practice spells, they heard a voice from inside one of the rooms said, "Harry?"

Harry and Skazzy doubled back to see who had spoken and met Professor Lupin, looking around his office door.

"What are you two doing?" said Lupin,. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"Hogsmeade," Skazzy answered for her brother.

"Ah," said Lupin. He considered Harry and Skazzy for a moment. "Why don't you come in? I've just taken delivery of a grindylow for the third years next lesson."

"A what?" said Harry.

They followed Lupin into his office. In the corner stood a very large tank of water. A sickly green creature with sharp little horns had its face pressed against the glass, pulling faces and flexing its long, spindly fingers.

"Water demon," said Lupin, surveying the grindylow thoughtfully. "We shouldn't have much difficulty with him, not after the Kappas. The trick is to break his grip. You notice the abnormally long fingers? Strong, but very brittle."

The grindylow bared its green teeth and then buried itself in a tangle of weeds in a corner. "Cup of tea?" Lupin said, looking around for his kettle. "I was just thinking of making one."

"All right," said Harry awkwardly. Lupin tapped the kettle with his wand and a blast of steam issued suddenly from the spout. Skazzy watched him warily, still not trusting him. She felt like he was hiding something from them.

"Sit down," said Lupin, taking the lid off a dusty tin. "I've only got teabags, I'm afraid, but I daresay Harry's had enough of tea leaves?"

Harry and Skazzy looked at him. Lupin's eyes were twinkling.

"How did you know about that?" Skazzy asked.

"Professor McGonagall told me," said Lupin, passing Harry and Skazzy a chipped mug of tea. "You're not worried, are you?"

"No," said Harry.

"Not anymore than usual," Skazzy answered truthfully. She was always worried about Harry, now she was just doing something to try and make sure he was safe. Harry and Lupin both looked at her. Harry resigned, Lupin...surprised? She wasn't the best at reading people.

Lupin must have seen Harry's look, and misinterpreted it as Lupin asked, "Anything worrying you, Harry?"

"No," Harry lied. He drank a bit of tea and watched the grindylow brandishing a fist at him. "Yes," he said suddenly, putting his tea down on Lupin's desk. "You know that day we fought the boggart?"

"Yes," said Lupin slowly.

"Why didn't you let me fight it?" said Harry abruptly.

Lupin raised his eyebrows.

"I would have thought that was obvious, Harry," he said, sounding surprised.

Harry, who had expected Lupin to deny that he'd done any such thing, was taken aback. Skazzy looked at Lupin in confusion.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well," said Lupin, frowning slightly, "I assumed that if the boggart faced Harry, it would assume the shape of Lord Voldemort."

Harry and Skazzy stared. Apparently Lupin was one of the few people who was not afraid to say his name. He was on the small list with Dumbledore. It was also not the answer either of them were expected. They traded glances.

"Clearly, I was wrong," said Lupin, still frowning at Harry. "But I didn't think it a good idea for Lord Voldemort to materialize in the staffroom. I imagined that people would panic."

"Why would he be afraid of Voldemort?" Skazzy asked. "He beat him already."

"Well," Lupin paused, looking lost and sad as he gazed at Skazzy. "I thought he might be afraid of Lord Voldemort because he cost you your family."

Harry shook his head. "No, I was thinking about Dementors."

"I see," said Lupin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I'm impressed." He smiled slightly at the look of surprise on Harry's face. "That suggests that what you fear most of all is fear. Very wise, Harry. What about you, Phoen-Skazzy?"

Skazzy cocked an eyebrow at the near slip of her name. How come it was so hard for people to remember her preferred name. It's not like she had decided to randomly change it one day after everyone had already learned her first one. "What about me?"

"What do you think your boggart would be?" Lupin asked.

"Not Voldemort," she answered immediately. No, Voldemort didn't scare her, not like it did other people. No, the thing she feared the most was being completely alone because of Harry dying, and she didn't think a boggart would turn into nothing to signify aloneness.

"A basilisk?" the professor asked, eyes on her. She tried to fight her scowl. He hadn't held her back in class again, but apparently he wasn't satisfied with her answer to his question about what had happened to her. However, that was an easy answer that wouldn't actually give any of her thoughts away. She nodded. Lupin closed his eyes before looking back at Harry.

"So you've been thinking that I didn't believe you capable of fighting the boggart?" said Lupin shrewdly.

"Well... yeah," said Harry. "Professor Lupin, you know the Dementors..."

He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in," called Lupin.

The door opened, and in came Snape. He was carrying a goblet, which was smoking faintly, and stopped at the sight of Harry and Skazzy, his black eyes narrowing.

"Ah, Severus," said Lupin, smiling. "Thanks very much. Could you leave it here on the desk for me?"

Snape set down the smoking goblet, his eyes wandering between Harry and Lupin, ignoring Skazzy like he normally did.

"I was just showing Harry and Ph-Skazzy my grindylow," said Lupin pleasantly, pointing at the tank.

"Fascinating," said Snape, without looking at it. "You should drink that directly, Lupin."

"Yes, Yes, I will," said Lupin.

"I made an entire cauldronful," Snape continued. "If you need more."

"I should probably have some again tomorrow. Thanks very much, Severus."

"Not at all," said Snape, but there was a look in his eye Skazzy didn't think was good. He backed out of the room, unsmiling and watchful.

Harry looked curiously at the goblet. Lupin smiled.

"Professor Snape has very kindly concocted a potion for me," he said. "I have never been much of a potion-brewer and this one is particularly complex." He picked up the goblet and sniffed it. "Pity sugar makes it useless," he added, taking a sip and shuddering.

"Why?" Harry began. Lupin looked at him and answered the unfinished question.

"I've been feeling a bit off-color," he said. "This potion is the only thing that helps. I am very lucky to be working alongside Professor Snape; there aren't many wizards who are up to making it."

Professor Lupin took another sip and Skazzy watched as a strange look passed over her brother's face.

"Professor Snape's very interested in the Dark Arts," he blurted out. "Really?" said Lupin, looking only mildly interested as he took another gulp of potion. Skazzy raised her eyebrow.

"Some people reckon," Harry hesitated, then plunged recklessly on, "some people reckon he'd do anything to get the Defense Against the Dark Arts job."

Lupin drained the goblet and pulled a face. "Disgusting," he said. "Well, Harry, Skazzy, I'd better get back to work. See you at the feast later."

"Right," said Harry, putting down his empty teacup. Skazzy nodded. The empty goblet was still smoking. They left the room.

"That was strange," Skazzy commented as they resumed searching for a room to practice.

"Good to know he doesn't think I can't handle stuff," Harry said. "He's crazy for drinking that potion from Snape. With the look in his eyes, I wouldn't be surprised if he poisoned it."

"Yeah, but wouldn't that make him the first suspect? Actually, what illness out there only has one complicated potion that helps? Wouldn't a pepper-up potion work?" Skazzy asked, frowning. Harry shrugged as they found a room to practice in. The two of them practiced spells until it was about time for the people who went to Hogsmeade to come back.

* * *

Skazzy was stuck sitting at the Hufflepuff table. Yes, Harry had told her to sit at the Hufflepuff table for at least one meal, but it didn't mean she had to like it. The Great Hall had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange streamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant water snakes.

The food was delicious, even Skazzy could admit that, and under the careful eyes of Amity she had managed a second helping of food. Her eye wandered, bored, to the Head table. As she looked at Snape, she frowned. Was she imagining it, or were Snape's eyes flickering toward Lupin more often than was normal? Lupin didn't seem to think there was anything wrong, as he was happily chatting with Professor Flitwick, either ignorant or care free.

The feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched beheading. Amity muttered that it was better than a reenactment of the Bloody Baron's death, and all the Hufflepuffs within ear shot nodded, agreeing with her.

The walk back to the common room was loud, with those who were third year and up talking about their time in Hogsmeade, while the younger years listened and started to plan their own trips to Hogsmeade. They weren't in the common room for long before Professor Sprout came in with a grim look on her normally happy face.

"Everybody out, we'll be sleeping in the Great Hall tonight," Professor Sprout said. One of the older prefects raised his hand, and Professor Sprout nodded at him.

"Why?" he asked. There was some murmuring in the crowd as the older years told younger years that this had never happened before.

"Sirius Black was in the castle and attacked the Gryffindor portrait."

Skazzy went cold.


	8. A Run of Bad Luck

(I have modified this since uploading the first time. And the modification is more than merely these two sentences)

AN: To answer the question of where is Sirius and why haven't we seen him more active, and why he's done the exact same thing as in cannon as far as we can see/assume: Sirius has been watching over the Potters from the forest, and realized that Ron and Harry shared a dorm, and that Wormtail was in a position where he could easily harm Harry. So, during the Halloween feast, he decided to try and make things safer for Harry (and also for revenge purposes) by getting Wormtail.

(or, it could be that the author may have accidentally forgot about that, as the author balances changing cannon and not completely changing cannon, and still needing some events to go the same way. Thanks for the reminder. I'm a bit embarrassed)

Disclaimer: I think the only thing I might own is the Room Outside of Time. If I owned Time, getting things done would be easier and I wouldn't have to pay attention to boring things, if I owned Fate, then I'd know my purpose in life, and if I owned Harry Potter my name and age would definitely be different.

* * *

Skazzy was looking around frantically, trying to find her brother in the mass of students. Amity followed her silently, still trying to process the fact that _Sirius Black_ had been _in_ the castle. Eventually Skazzy found Ron by his red hair, who was probably next to Harry and she headed over to them. She checked her brother over, but he only looked scared, not harmed. She breathed a sigh of relief, and tuned in to Dumbledore.

"...conduct a thorough search of the castle," Dumbledore told them as McGonagall and Flitwick closed all doors into the hall. "I'm afraid that, for your own safety, you will have to spend the night here. I want the prefects to stand guard over the entrances to the hall and I am leaving the Head Boy and Girl in charge. Any disturbance should be reported to me immediately," he added to Percy, who was looking immensely proud and important, his girlfriend right behind him and looking the same. "Send word with one of the ghosts."

Professor Dumbledore paused, about to leave the hall, and said, "Oh, yes, you'll be needing..."

One casual wave of his wand and the long tables flew to the edges of the hall and stood themselves against the walls; another wave, and the floor was covered with hundreds of squashy purple sleeping bags.

"Sleep well," said Professor Dumbledore, closing the door behind him.

"Everyone into their sleeping bags!" shouted Percy. "Come on, now, no more talking! Lights out in ten minutes!"

"C'mon," Ron said to the group; they seized five sleeping bags and dragged them into a corner. Four other people grabbed also went towards that corner.

Ginny was huddled up next to Amity, possibly remembering the Chamber thing. Colin had followed Ginny, but had stopped stalking Skazzy's brother after being saved by him. Or after she had told him not to last year, Skazzy didn't know. The Ravenclaw, Luna, came over. Said something about Stubby Boardman, and not having a sleep over before. Amity frowned at that, and turned to talk to Ginny, Luna and Colin. Neville was over there too, looking very nervous and looking like he wanted to be around people he knew. Skazzy noticed a strange glint in his eyes though. Fear, and anger?

Skazzy filed that away for future research. Why would Neville hate Black?

"Do you think Black's still in the castle?" Hermione whispered anxiously as the three Gryffindors and Skazzy formed their own group.

"Dumbledore obviously thinks he might be," said Ron.

"It's very lucky he picked tonight, you know," said Hermione as they climbed fully dressed into their sleeping bags and propped themselves on their elbows to talk. "The one night we weren't in the tower..."

"I reckon he's lost track of time, being on the run," said Ron. "Didn't realize it was Halloween. Otherwise he'd have come bursting in here."

"But wouldn't he have noticed the empty halls?" Skazzy asked while Hermione shuddered. No one had an answer for her.

All around them, people were asking one another the same question: " _How did he get in_?"

"Maybe he knows how to apparate," said a Ravenclaw a few feet away, "Just appear out of thin air, you know."

"Wait, doesn't every adult know how to apparate?" Skazzy asked Amity, frowning. "I thought that last year at some point a few seventh years were muttering about apparating lessons. Or I heard them wrong."

"In this case no, you didn't, and many adults do," Amity answered, and then was interrupted by Luna.

"That girl is a first year muggleborn. She has no idea what Nargles are," Luna answered, staring at Skazzy. Harry and Hermione stared at her in confusion.

"What is..." Hermione began.

"Don't," Skazzy said. Luna had walked with her and Amity enough that she knew once you got her started on a topic, you never got off it.

"Disguised himself, probably," said a Hufflepuff fifth year.

"He could've flown in," suggested one of Harry's dormmates.

"Honestly, am I the _only_ person who's ever bothered to read _Hogwarts, A History_?" said Hermione crossly to everyone in the second corner.

"Probably," said Ron. "Why?"

"Because the castle's protected by more than walls, you know," said Hermione. "There are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just apparate in here. And I'd like to see the disguise that could fool those Dementors. They're guarding every single entrance to the grounds. They'd have seen him fly in too. And Filch knows all the secret passages, they'll have them covered..."

"The lights are going out now!" Percy shouted. "I want everyone in their sleeping bags and no more talking!"

The candles all went out at once. The only light now came from the silvery ghosts, who were drifting about talking seriously to the prefects, and the enchanted ceiling, which, like the sky outside, was scattered with stars. What with that, and the whispering that still filled the hall, it felt as though they were sleeping outdoors in a light wind.

Once every hour, a teacher would reappear in the Hall to check that everything was quiet. Around three in the morning, when many students had finally fallen asleep including Amity and her circle, Professor Dumbledore came in. Skazzy watched him looking around for Percy, who had been prowling between the sleeping bags, telling people off for talking. Percy was only a short way away from the group, four of whom quickly pretended to be asleep as Dumbledore's footsteps drew nearer.

"Any sign of him, Professor?" asked Percy in a whisper.

"No. All well here?"

"Everything under control, sir."

"Good. There's no point moving them all now. I've found a temporary guardian for the Gryffindor portrait hole. You'll be able to move them back in tomorrow."

"And the Fat Lady, sir?"

"Hiding in a map of Argyllshire on the second floor. Apparently she refused to let Black in without the password, so he attacked. She's still very distressed, but once she's calmed down, I'll have Mr. Filch restore her."

Skazzy heard the door of the hall creak open again, and more footsteps.

"Headmaster?" It was Snape. Skazzy kept quite still, listening hard. "The whole of the third floor has been searched. He's not there. And Filch has done the dungeons; nothing there either."

"What about the Astronomy tower? Professor Trelawney's room? The Owlery?"

"All searched..."

"Very well, Severus. I didn't really expect Black to linger."

"Have you any theory as to how he got in, Professor?" asked Snape.

Skazzy raised her head very slightly off her arms to free his other ear. "Many, Severus, each of them as unlikely as the next."

Skazzy opened her eye a fraction and squinted up to where they stood; Dumbledore's back was to her, but she could see Percy's face, rapt with attention, and Snape's profile, which looked angry.

"You remember the conversation we had, Headmaster, just before, ah, the start of term?" said Snape, who was barely opening his lips, as though trying to block Percy out of the conversation.

"I do, Severus," said Dumbledore, and there was something like warning in his voice.

"It seems, well, almost impossible that Black could have entered the school without inside help. I did express my concerns when you appointed..."

"I do not believe a single person inside this castle would have helped Black enter it," said Dumbledore, and his tone made it so clear that the subject was closed that Snape didn't reply. "I must go down to the Dementors," said Dumbledore. "I said I would inform them when our search was complete."

"Didn't they want to help, sir?" said Percy, eagerly inserting himself back into the conversation.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore coldly. "But I'm afraid no Dementor will cross the threshold of this castle while I am Headmaster."

Percy looked slightly abashed. Dumbledore left the hall, walking quickly and quietly. Snape stood for a moment, watching the headmaster with an expression of deep resentment on his face; then he too left.

Skazzy glanced sideways at Harry, Ron and Hermione. All of them had their eyes open too, reflecting the starry ceiling.

"What was all that about?" Ron mouthed.

* * *

Siri... _Black_ had been in the castle. The only thing about that whole thing was that Remus was ecstatic that he had chosen the one time no was in the dorm.

He began to try and keep a closer eye on James' kids. He would protect them from Black.

He had to.

* * *

The quill in the Room Outside of Time twitched. There was something... but it was unclear... it wasn't much... there was a better chance of the two forgetting...

It settled down. This wasn't a major change, it decided, but sometimes it was hard to tell when one of the people involved was in one of the Three Families.

No, meeting Luna Lovegood in third-year was not going to change anything for Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. They would merely recognize her on the occasions they saw her. The two would most likely forget her by the end of the year.

After all, right now she was still merely a second year from a house they didn't interact with.

The Unspeakables stared at each other.

"That normal?" the younger one asked the older one. The older one frowned.

"Not to my knowledge, I think..." he walked to a row of the journals. He picked one out near the beginning, flipping through the pages. "Ah, here. As far as the First knows, it means that something might have been significant, but wasn't. Apparently only happens with those who are part of the Three Families."

"So who was it? One of the Weasleys or Amity Fear?" asked the younger Unspeakable.

"I don't think we'll ever know," the older Unspeakable said, closing and returning the journal.

* * *

The school talked of nothing but Sirius Black for the next few days. The theories about how he had entered the castle became wilder and wilder. Hannah Abbott was telling anyone who'd listen that Black could turn into a flowering shrub.

The Fat Lady's ripped canvas had been taken off the wall and replaced with a different portrait, one that Harry and his friends found rather annoying called Sir Cadogan. Apparently nobody was very happy about this. Sir Cadogan spent half his time challenging people to duels, and the rest thinking up ridiculously complicated passwords, which he changed at least twice a day.

"He's a complete lunatic," said Ron angrily to Percy one day during breakfast. "Can't we get anyone else?"

"None of the other pictures wanted the job," said Percy. "Frightened of what happened to the Fat Lady. Sir Cadogan was the only one brave enough to volunteer."

Sir Cadogan, however, was the not one of Skazzy's worries, since it only affected Gryffindors. She just enjoyed listening to the complaints the Gryffindors had. However, she had noticed that she and her brother were now being closely watched. Teachers found excuses to walk along corridors with them, and Percy Weasley (acting, Harry theorized to Skazzy, on his mother's orders) was tailing Harry everywhere like an extremely pompous guard dog. Lupin was the worst of the teachers, in Skazzy's opinion, as he always seemed to be somewhere near her. It made it very hard to slip away to brew potions, after Skazzy had solved her ingredient problem by managing to convince Hedwig to deliver her packages to an abandoned classroom where she kept the cauldron. To cap it all, Professor McGonagall summoned the two into her office, with a very somber expression on her face.

"There's no point hiding it from you any longer, Mr. and Miss Potter," she said in a very serious voice. "I know this will come as a shock to you, but Sirius Black..."

"I know he's after me," said Harry wearily. "I heard Ron's dad telling his mum. Mr. Weasley works for the Ministry of Magic."

Professor McGonagall seemed very taken aback. She stared at Harry for a moment or two, then Skazzy who looked impassive, then said, "I see! Well, in that case, Potter, you'll understand why I don't think it's a good idea for you to be practicing Quidditch in the evenings. Out on the field with only your team members, it's very exposed, Potter..."

"We've got our first match on Saturday!" said Harry, outraged. "I've got to train, Professor!"

Skazzy wanted to whack her brother for thinking about a game over his own safety, but knew that she'd probably get in trouble for hitting him. Regardless of the fact that he was her sibling and being stupid.

Professor McGonagall considered him intently. Skazzy knew she was deeply interested in the Gryffindor team's prospects. She was very competitive. Harry waited, holding his breath.

"Hmm..."Professor McGonagall stood up and stared out of the window at the Quidditch field, just visible through the rain. "Well... goodness knows, I'd like to see us win the Cup at last... but all the same, Potter... I'd be happier if a teacher were present. I'll ask Madam Hooch to oversee your training sessions. Miss Potter, I'm sure you are aware..."

"That even if Black is after Harry, I should still be careful?" Skazzy interrupted. Professor McGonagall nodded, and let them leave.

* * *

The weather worsened steadily as the first Quidditch match drew nearer. Skazzy watched as her brother was run ragged by his quidditch captain, glad that her injury meant that she couldn't play quidditch. Too many Hufflepuffs had wondered at the beginning of last year if she could play as well as her brother. The weather didn't help either. Apparently they were in the middle of a storm front, as the weather was just getting worse and worse.

Thus Herbology was a class that no one liked to go to, simply because it meant you would get soaked on the way down. Mud was becoming ingrained into people's robes. At one point, Skazzy slipped in the mud, and tumbled down to the edge of the forest, her bag having fallen off and landed somewhere else. She spat mud out of her mouth, grimacing at the taste, when her bag was thrust into her face. She took it warily, only to see the now familiar dog. Who was apparently friends with Crookshanks, who was sitting right next to it.

"Thanks, dog," Skazzy said as she stood up and put her bag on. The dog panted at her, tongue hanging out of its mouth. "Why haven't you found a better place to live yet? Try Hogsmeade."

The dog shook its head. Skazzy stared at it. "No? You don't want a nice warm house and certain food and no rain?"

The dog barked, and nodded. Skazzy raised an eyebrow. "You do, but you won't go?"

"Nixie, come on!" Amity yelled from the greenhouse. "Class will start soon."

The dog barked again, looking pleased. "I have a class I need to get back to, crazy."

* * *

Sirius watched her go, ignoring the rain that was falling. He put his head on his paws, and waited until after her class before finding a dry place to sleep. This weekend would be exciting, a quidditch match was happening.

He felt a little stupid about having attempted to break into Gryffindor tower, and failing, but he had thought he might have been able to catch Pettigrew. He didn't like knowing that Pettigrew and Harry were sharing a dorm room. He could hurt Harry at any given moment. Sirius also saw the sudden appearance of Madam Hooch at Harry's quidditch practices and realized that people were keeping a closer watch on at least one of the Potters after his stunt.

Not that he was sorry people were watching the Potters. The more they were watched, the better off they would be. Sirius couldn't imagine Remus ( _he probably hates you)_ letting either one of them get hurt on his watch. He just wanted Harry away from Pettigrew.

He vaguely remembered that Moony had been named Phoenix's godfather, and remembered thinking that Remus was very protective of the little girl ( _but weren't they all?)_ that showed James and Lily had trusted him, not only with their lives, but with the small, defenseless human most people would never let him near if they knew what he was. He knew that those events happened, but remembering them wasn't something he could do anymore. Damn Azkaban.

It was still jarring to see that scar on Phoenix's face. Otherwise, she looked just like Lily. Looked like, personality wise she was completely different. Lily had an air that had people like her, want to be in her company. Phoenix, well, she didn't look too upset that she seemed to only hang out with the one other classmate. He had watched enough of the Herbology classes to see that she was quiet, and not social at all like her parents.

He didn't think he'd ever seen her laugh. At least Harry, from his Care of Magical Creatures class and Herbology, was social and had multiple friends, and laughed.

He wished he could miss the little girl who was almost constantly laughing at her brother's antics, or James or Lily or him or Remus, but the memory of that had been stolen by Azkaban.

For now, he'd watch. He'd let the cat take care of the rat. He had a godson and an almost niece to watch.

And an important question: why was Phoenix a Hufflepuff?

* * *

Just when everyone thought that everything couldn't get worse, it did. Professor Lupin was sick, and Professor Snape was filling in. The Hufflepuff/Gryffindor second year class was understandable confused, and concerned about the professor.

"Where's Professor Lupin?" Ginny asked, when it looked like no one else was going to say anything.

"He's not feeling well, Weasley. I'll be filling in," Professor Snape drawled.

"Is he okay?" Amity asked, concern for the professor overriding her instinct to not question Professor Snape.

"Nothing life-threatening," Professor Snape sneered, looking as if he wished it was. "Now, today we're going to learn about werewolves."

"Hang on, that's third-year stuff. We already know how to treat a werewolf bite. We're suppose to be learning the Full Body Bind," a different Gryffindor said, frowning.

"Who is teaching this class?" Professor Snape asked, looking around at everyone.

"Professor Lupin," Skazzy whispered to Amity. Amity coughed to disguise her laugh as Professor Snape glared at Amity. The entire class watched Professor Snape.

"What are you waiting for, take out your books. Or did you all forget them?" Professor Snape sneered.

"Which chapter?" Colin asked, pulling out his book. "I didn't think that our book covers them."

Everyone was pulling out their books and flipping through them, agreeing with Colin. They looked up to find Professor Snape scowling.

"So you don't even have the proper books. An oversight, _I'm sure_ , by Professor Lupin," he said, folding his arms.

"We have the right book for our year," one of the Hufflepuffs spoke up. "If we aren't suppose to learn about it until third year, why would we have bought the book?"

"Fifty points from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff for being unprepared. I guess the only thing we can do is use the book you have," Professor Snape said, ignoring the Hufflepuff. "Open your books to the page about the Full Body Bind."

* * *

Severus Snape was angry at himself. _A stupid mistake_. Since he wasn't allowed to tell people about werewolves without paying a price that at the moment just wasn't worth it, he thought he'd get a student to figure it out. But apparently the only year with a textbook that covered werewolves was _third_ year. Damn. Any non-third year class he would be unable to make study werewolves.

Except... that might work. And Lupin would be too stupid or forgiving to complain to Dumbledore, and by the time he figured it out, it would be too late. Yes, that's what he'd do.

And ignore Phoenix Potter.

She looked too much like her mother, and the parts that were different, well, he couldn't stand to see Lily in pain or angry.

No need to start now. If he just ignored her, he wouldn't be constantly thinking about Lily.

Phoenix was just a reminder of what he had lost.

And ignoring her was still making her life harder, like his point taking for the nearly James lookalike.

Take that James Potter.

* * *

Professor Snape spent the rest of class walking around and critiquing everything everyone was doing. He was disparaging towards Professor Lupin. Although Skazzy didn't trust Professor Lupin, even she could admit that Professor Snape was being a bit more insulting towards a professor than usual.

"And I want an essay on ways to identify werewolves and kill them delivered to me next Monday," Professor Snape said as class ended. Most of the class walked away groaning and mumbling, but Skazzy frowned. Amity noticed, and paused.

"What's the matter?" Amity asked.

"Identify and _kill_? Usually we learn how to _protect_ ourselves, not kill creatures," Skazzy said, feeling as if something wasn't right. Amity frowned.

"Maybe that's just the way he'd teach if he had the job," Amity offered. Skazzy shrugged.

"Oh, damn it, we have him again next!" one of the Hufflepuffs in front of everyone said. Everyone groaned.

* * *

In the Room Outside of Time, the quill began to move, sure in its movements. Neither Unspeakable noticed as they were still trying to figure out why Sirius Black, supposedly out to kill Harry Potter, and possibly his sister, would want to protect them. It would take them a few days to realize that an actual change had occurred.

Should:

Amity Fear never thinks anything of her assignment on werewolves from Severus Snape.

Happened:

Amity Fear begins to wonder why Severus Snape would want them to know how to kill werewolves.

* * *

Fate smiled. Time watched as a finger from her other hand unraveled, and waited.

* * *

Skazzy woke up the next day, listening to the booming thunder as she and Amity walked to the Great Hall for food. Her brother was sitting with his team, and the captain looked upset. Skazzy paused. Did she really want to sit anywhere near the crazy quidditch person? On the day of his quidditch match? Nope. She sat at the Hufflepuff table to everyone's surprise.

"This mean you're rooting for Hufflepuff?" one of her yearmates asked. Skazzy stared at him in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Today it's Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor," the boy said again. Skazzy nodded. "So since you are sitting here, does this mean you want Hufflepuff to win?"

"Have you met the captain of Gryffindor's quidditch team? He's insane, and there's bad weather, and there's a match today. No one in their right mind would sit next to him if they didn't have to," Skazzy said, pointing to the insane captain.

She ignored the boy when he said that she wasn't in her right mind, and continued eating breakfast before catching up with Ron and Hermione so she could sit with them. Amity usually stayed with Hufflepuff during their matches. She, as she had often informed Skazzy with a fond albeit exasperated smile, had at least a little house pride.

"This is horrible weather for a match," Ron said when after the Gryffindor time out and Hermione came back from charming Harry's glasses. Skazzy agreed, glad for once that one of her brother's friends was obsessed with knowledge. She had cast heating charms on them, and waterproofed their robes.

Hermione nodded, watching Harry. Skazzy noticed he seemed to look surprised by something, and looked where he had looked. She squinted before finding the thing that had most likely distracted her brother.

The crazy dog had come to the match. Harry didn't still think it was a grim, did he? No, he probably did. Or he was surprised to see the same dog. She quietly left Ron and Hermione, going over to the dog. She crouched in front of it.

"Did you seriously come to watch a quidditch game in this?" she asked. "Why not be dry?"

The dog shook its head.

"You'd rather watch quidditch than be dry, rather live in the forest than a home. Do you have survival instincts?" Skazzy asked the clearly insane dog.

The dog shrugged. Skazzy stared, standing up and leaning against the side of the stand.

"Dogs don't shrug," she said, becoming very suspicious about the true nature of the thing in front of her. "And you understand far too much English...although so does Hedwig..."

She would have continued this line of thought, except that at that moment, she felt herself begin to loose consciousness. She saw a man reaching out to grab her while the world became hazy, hearing the same voice from the train.

"Little Phoenix, don't cry. Please don't cry. I love you," the voice cooed again, also sounding desperate. Phoenix didn't have the energy to try and correct the strange man that it was raining so she wasn't crying and she preferred her nickname over her first name, and then ask him if he was a stalker.

Instead, she smelled dog breath as the dog grabbed her robes, and a ripping sound, and her last memory was hitting her head on something. Something far too solid.

* * *

"Lucky the ground was so soft."

"I thought he was dead for sure."

"But he didn't even break his glasses."

"Are he and Nixie somehow connected? They're the only two who were injured."

Skazzy could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. Who had been on the ground, Harry? She didn't have a clue what had happened. Harry was fine, wasn't he? She struggled to consciousness, fighting against the quiet urge to stop and go back to sleep. Harry was more important.

She was apparently in the hospital wing. She sat up and looked around, finding a group of people clustered around a different bed. Her stomach clenched and she was out of her bed and pushing through the cluster within minutes.

"Skazzy, you should stay in your bed," Hermione's voice came, slightly disapproving. Skazzy ignored her, focusing on her brother.

"What happened?" she asked, staring at him as he was lying still on the hospital bed.

"He fell off his broom as the Dementors came to the match," answered Ron, looking paler than usual.

"I'm sorry, run that by me again?" Skazzy said, not believing what Ron had said.

"Dementors came to the game, and he fell off," Ron summarized.

"And why the fuck" "Phoenix Potter!" "were the Dementors at the game?" Skazzy asked, ignoring Hermione's warning at her swear.

She looked around at the group when she didn't hear an answer. No one had any clue.

"He'll be fine. Madam Pomfrey said..." one of the girls on the quidditch team started.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Skazzy said, and she proceeded to find a chair, and sit next to Harry's bed.

"Miss Potter! What are you doing out of your bed! You hit your head!" came a voice Skazzy didn't want to hear. So she ignored it.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey stopped lecturing as soon as she saw that the only person who's attention she didn't have, was the one she wanted to talk to. She shook her head, preparing the bed next to her brother for her. Apparently Miss Fear had been right when she said to put them near each other.

Phoenix Potter should have been out longer. She should still be sleeping. Madam Pomfrey had given her a sleeping potion, so that she would stay still while her concussion healed. And yet...she was undeniably awake. She briefly remembered last year, and Miss Potter's strange resistance to the dreamless sleep potion.

Miss Potter had never come to her, willingly, except for that one time last year, after saving Miss Fear and Miss Weasley. So she knew that she hadn't been given too many potions. Was it possible to have a natural tolerance for them? She didn't think she had ever read about that happening. Maybe this had something to do with _that_ night? A connection to her brother?

Maybe if they were twins, but that didn't often happen to siblings with different ages, and even then the connection wasn't as strong as a twin bond. Although, there were three months where the two Potters were the same age. Miss Potter's birthday was May first, Mr. Potter's was July thirty-first. Was that enough to make them similar to fraternal twins?

She felt a familiar itch, one she hadn't felt in several years. This was something she wanted to research.

She hadn't done any research in awhile, it would be good to get back in the game.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey had given up and walked away, a strange look on her face. Of course, no one noticed because as soon as she stopped talking, everyone was staring at Harry again. Amity came in, looked at the bed her friend had been on, rolled her eyes, and pushed her way towards a red head in a chair.

"Sleep?"

"I don't know," Skazzy answered, staring at her brother.

"No, you sleep," Amity clarified.

"Why?" Skazzy asked. She refused to look away from her brother.

"You hit your head," Amity explained.

"Minor detail. I'm fine. All better," Skazzy answered, waving her hand to dismiss Amity's concerns.

"No, major detail. And no, and no. Let's try this again. Why are you not in the bed next to him sleeping?" Amity asked, exasperated with her friend's unconcerned attitude towards herself.

"Not until I'm sure Harry's fine," Skazzy answered. Amity counted to ten, and breathed out.

 _I shouldn't get mad at Nixie. She's just concerned about her brother. I would be too if I had one who had been knocked out._

Luckily Harry opened his eyes at that moment. He looked around, taking in how everyone was looking.

"Harry!" said one of the twins. "How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly the Gryffindors and Amity all gasped. Skazzy pushed him gently back down.

"Rest, not sit," she said, concern in her eye.

"You fell off," said the same twin. "Must've been, what? Fifty feet?" Skazzy felt the blood drain from her face. _Fifty feet?_

"We thought you'd died," said one of the girls, who was shaking. Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot.

"But the match," said Harry. "What happened? Are we doing a replay?" No one said anything. "We didn't lose, did we?"

"There are more important things to worry about..." Skazzy began to say when she was interrupted.

"Diggory got the Snitch," said the other twin. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a rematch. But they won fair and square... even Wood admits it."

"Where is Wood?" said Harry. Skazzy looked around, finally noticing that the crazy captain wasn't actually in the hospital wing.

"Still in the showers," said twin one. "We think he's trying to drown himself."

 _Don't laugh, it's not funny. Don't laugh, it's not funny_ Skazzy thought to herself, trying to hide her twitching mouth. _But trying to drown after losing a stupid game?_

When Skazzy looked back to her brother, Harry had put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Twin one grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly before Skazzy had gotten him off and started glaring at him.

"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the Snitch before."

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said twin two.

"It's not over yet,"

"We lost by a hundred points."

"Right? So if Hufflepuff loses to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin..."

"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," the twins alternated.

"But if they beat Ravenclaw..." Harry began.

"No way, Ravenclaw is too good. But if Slytherin loses against Hufflepuff..." one of the other girls on the team started.

"It all depends on the points. A margin of a hundred either way," twin one said again, sending a quick glare at the girl who had spoken.

Harry lay there, not saying a word. Skazzy could see that he was upset, but upset was better than dead. _It's probably the hit he took, not realizing he could have_ died.

After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over again. This time it was to tell the team to leave Harry in peace.

"We'll come and see you later," twin one told him. "Don't beat yourself up Harry, you're still the best Seeker we've ever had."

The Gryffindor team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, still looking thoughtful. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed while Amity attempted to convince Skazzy to get into a bed.

"Dumbledore was really angry," Hermione said in a quaking voice to Harry. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the field as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium right away... He was furious they'd come onto the grounds. We heard him..."

"Then he magicked you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were..."

His voice faded, but Harry hardly noticed.

"Did someone get my Nimbus?" he asked. Skazzy, who turned white at what she had just heard, even if she knew her brother was fine, looked to Ron and Hermione. She knew that the broom was to Harry. His first gift all for himself. He had had Hedwig, but Hagrid had bought her as a combined present for Harry and Skazzy. The broom was his alone.

Ron and Hermione looked quickly at each other. Skazzy narrowed her eye. This did not bode well.

"Er..." Ron stalled.

"What?" said Harry, looking from one to the other.

"Well... when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly.

"And?"

"And it hit the Whomping Willow," Amity answered when it became clear that the two Gryffindors couldn't actually say the words.

Skazzy winced at that. The Whomping Willow was a very violent tree that stood alone in the middle of the grounds. It had broken Ron's first wand the year before.

"And?" Harry asked slowly, uncertain if he actually wanted to know.

"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It, er, it doesn't like being hit."

"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came around," said Hermione in a very small voice.

Slowly, she reached down for a bag at her feet, turned it upside down, and tipped a dozen bits of splintered wood and twig onto the bed, the only remains of Harry's second present ever.

Skazzy squeezed his hand.

 _Not good_ , she thought as she watched her brother's face.

 _But at least he is alive._

"Hey Nixie, what happened to your robe?"

Skazzy looked down at Amity's words. Huh, her robe looked like it was missing some part. She vaguely began to remember what happened before the Dementor caused blackout.

"I guess the dog tried to help me."


	9. It's a Map Harry! And Harry's Sister

Disclaimer: Unlike wizards, I have no way to turn back time, so I cannot change the fact that I did not come up with the original idea for Harry Potter. I'm just doing this for fun.

* * *

"What?" came four voices simultaneously. Skazzy looked at everyone, inwardly cursing. She was going to blame her head injury for saying more than she meant to out loud. She hadn't done that in awhile, usually she was more careful.

She didn't admit to herself that she had begun to trust people other than Harry. That was absurd.

"What?" she parroted back, trying to look innocent.

"What dog?"

"I think I hit my head too hard. Probably snagged on something," Skazzy said, dismissively. "I should probably go to sleep. Night."

Skazzy got into the bed that everyone had earlier tried to get her to lay down in and closed her eyes. She knew she wasn't fooling anyone, but she was hoping they would just be happy she was doing what they had wanted her to earlier.

The other four just looked at her.

"Is it..." Hermione started, looking at Harry, Ron and Amity.

"Not worth it," Amity said, shaking her head.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend, and Skazzy was allowed to stay there as well. Skazzy felt as if Madam Pomfrey was watching her, a bit too closely. It seemed as if every time Skazzy looked away from her brother, Madam Pomfrey had her eyes on Skazzy. At least Madam Pomfrey was giving her dreamless sleep potions, determining that she had fainted from the Dementors like Harry and would probably have residual nightmares. That and the bed sheets helped with hiding her shaking since she couldn't ask anyone to get her potions.

Whenever the two Potters weren't sleeping, they had a stream of visitors. Well, Harry had a lot of visitors, all intent on cheering him up over his lost broom. Skazzy didn't. Heidi checked in on her, but no one else came except for Amity. Hagrid sent Harry a bunch of earwiggy flowers that Skazzy said looked like yellow cabbages. Ginny Weasley, joining Amity for a visit to Skazzy, gave Harry a get-well card she had made herself. Amity informed both Potters after Ginny left that she had managed to convince Ginny to not make a card that sang. Harry thanked her while Skazzy frowned, looking towards the door the Gryffindor girl had gone through. She didn't say anything though. She hadn't forgotten about the time Amity slapped her, and was not in any hurry for it to happen again. She would just watch the girl.

Luckily for Skazzy, Hermione, Ron and Amity made sure that they were never alone except for when they were sleeping, so Harry didn't ask her about anything. She could see that he was itching to ask her about the dog, but that he also didn't want the others to know. She needed some time to come up with a better story.

After all, she could have sworn she saw a person, but she was the only one in that area. Clearly the Dementors had her seeing things, as well as hearing things. She had heard that voice again, telling her not to cry, and calling her Phoenix, again. Little Phoenix, which was even worse.

When the two Potters were released from the hospital wing, Harry managed to convince Hermione and Ron that he was going to be fine walking up to the common room on his own. Amity had left earlier, saying she needed to work on homework for Defense. He pulled Skazzy aside to talk to her.

"You saw the dog too?" he asked in a low voice, looking around in case anyone was eavesdropping.

"Yeah," Skazzy said, staring at her brother's frantic look.

"That makes twice we've seen the dog, and twice we've almost died!" Harrry hissed.

"No, it's not. This is the second time we've been attacked by Dementors, and the first time you didn't..." Skazzy started before trailing off. She had seen the dog that day, but she had seen the dog at Diagon Alley and there was no way anyone could claim she was about to die. And plenty of times at Hogwarts.

"I guess you're right," Harry sighed, not noticing Skazzy's troubled look. "It's just, a little suspicious. But we didn't see one last year, and I didn't see one the year before. Keep it from Ron and Hermione, 'kay? Ron will freak out and Hermione will think I'm over-reacting."

Skazzy nodded and watched as Harry walked off to the Gryffindor tower.

"Besides, I was the one who almost died two times. And has seen the dog more often then you. Maybe there is some truth to the Divination professor's words. Maybe she just got the wrong Potter," Skazzy muttered to herself, walking slowly back to the Hufflepuff common room. She quickly turned her thoughts back to the Dementors.

Something needed to be done about them. Twice they had left her defenseless. Once, shame on them. Twice, shame on her. But what could she do? Unbidden, she heard Hermione's voice in her ears. 'But the Dementor didn't move, so Lupin muttered something, and a silvery thing shot out of his wand at it, and it turned around and sort of glided away'.

Professor Lupin knew a way to get rid of them. She would have to ask him about it. Or do research and find it herself.

Find it herself it was.

* * *

Stupid. Stupid, _stupid_ Sirius. Why had he thought it a good idea to go to the game? He should have _known_ that the Dementors would have come. And Harry had been on a broom, and almost died. This was not protecting them.

He remembered how his heart had almost stopped when he felt the Dementors come and Phoenix had started to fade out. He panicked when it looked like she was about to fall off the side of the stadium that he had changed out of his animagus form and grabbed her so she wouldn't fall.

Of course, when he realized what he had done, he changed back and tried to stop her from falling by grabbing the front of her robes with his mouth, but the robes tore. He had looked up just in time to see Harry fall from the sky, and Dumbledore get very angry at the Dementors.

Sirius backed away from Phoenix, not wanting to leave her but also knowing it was better that he wasn't seen. If word got back to Remus, well, it probably wouldn't be pleasant.

Instead he waited until someone noticed Phoenix, and it looked like she was being taken to the hospital wing. He whined a bit, not liking the fact that she looked a lot like her mother did the last time he had seen her. Unmoving.

Dead.

He wouldn't let that happen. He _wouldn't_.

He couldn't.

* * *

Professor Lupin was not impressed with the assignment Snape had given them. He had tensed when they had complained, before smiling and saying they wouldn't have to turn it in. Amity seemed to be watching him weirdly, but Skazzy didn't notice that. Skazzy was just glad she had picked that assignment to not do over the weekend. At lunch, they were able to reassure Ron that Snape wouldn't be teaching Defense again.

After dinner, Harry pulled Skazzy aside, looking excited.

"Professor Lupin agreed to teach me how to protect myself from Dementors! They won't be able to do the same thing to me again!" Harry said. "I won't have to hear Voldemort kill Mum."

"Hold up, what?" Skazzy asked, looking at Harry. "What do you mean, hear Voldemort kill Mum?"

"Professor Lupin said that Dementors bring out horrors from our past, and since that was the worst memory I have..." Harry said, trailing off. "Wait, don't you hear Voldemort laugh or Mum?"

"No, I hear some guy...Dad maybe?" Skazzy said slowly. "He keeps telling me to be quiet."

"I wonder why that is?" Harry said, frowning. "Anyway, Professor Lupin offered to teach me next term after Christmas, and I think I could probably convince him to teach you as well. Then we'll both be safe."

"I suppose," Skazzy said. At least she wouldn't have to look any spells up, although she couldn't say she was ecstatic about spending more time with a teacher.

What with the promise of anti-Dementor lessons from Lupin, the thought that Harry might never have to hear their mother's death again, and the fact that Ravenclaw flattened Hufflepuff in their quidditch match at the end of November, Harry's mood took a definite upturn, although Skazzy had no idea how he could be happy with the amount of work the crazy quidditch captain kept making them work. At least there were no more Dementors, although Harry complained about still being forced to have a teacher oversee practice. Unsurprisingly, he didn't get any sympathy from Ron, Hermione, or Skazzy.

Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights. When Skazzy poked one, she was surprised to discover it was actually alive. The living light didn't appreciate being poked, and Skazzy watched as all the nearby lights moved away from her. Amity looked around a few minutes later from her note taking and frowned.

"Where did the fairies go?"

"The what?" Skazzy asked.

"The fairies, you know, those things that were glowing?" Amity attempted to clarify. She looked at Skazzy's face and sighed. "You didn't know they were alive, did you?"

"I only poked them," Skazzy halfheartedly defended herself. Amity shook her head.

"You should probably avoid unicorns. I imagine you'll find a way to insult them as well by just existing. Honestly, all a fairy cares about is its looks, and you managed to make it angry by just poking it. You should probably not take Care of Magical Creatures next year."

"Yeah, I realized that when I realized the assigned book liked to attack people."

* * *

Amity had decided to go home for Christmas this year, for real. Last year an accidental encounter with a cursed diary had lead to her staying for Christmas, but not this year. She had made Skazzy agree to look after her kitten Maeve, since she was apparently going on a holiday with her family where the kitten wasn't invited. Harry's Gryffindor friends had decided to stay this year, coming up with transparent excuses as to why they were staying. When Skazzy pointed out to them that Ron spent all year with Percy and lived, the two glared at her. Harry shook his head, holding Skazzy back while Ron and Hermione kept walking.

"I'm pretty sure that them being here won't scare off Black," she told Harry when they were out of hearing range of the two.

"Let them think they're helping. It's kinder," Harry advised. The two of them watched as Ron and Hermione bickered on the way to dinner.

"So? Why delude them? At some point they'll realize the truth," Skazzy pointed out. Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Just because we didn't have a childhood doesn't mean they shouldn't," Harry tried to explain, before Ron and Hermione started yelling at him to catch up. Skazzy watched them go, a strange feeling in her stomach.

"How come they aren't like us?" Skazzy asked, too quietly for anyone to hear. "How come they can still pretend? How come everything that's happened hasn't changed them?"

She wouldn't ask her brother those questions, or anyone. She would just keep quiet.

But a tiny part of her wished that she could be a bit more like Ron, Hermione, and Amity than herself.

But only a tiny part.

After all, Skazzy knew that dreams didn't come true, so it was pointless wishing she wasn't her.

She decided that she wasn't feeling hungry, and headed back to the Hufflepuff dorms to sleep. One meal wasn't going to kill her. She took a some extra dreamless sleep potion. After all, she was going to sleep earlier.

* * *

To Harry's disappointment, there was another Hogsmeade trip planned for the last weekend of term. Amity had apparently gotten permission to leave early, although Skazzy hadn't asked why. It wasn't her business. Besides, this meant she had more time to spend with her brother to help cheer him up since his friends were doing awful.

Granted, she probably wasn't much better than Ron and Hermione in cheering him up. But at least she would be in the castle with him. And she wasn't talking about things that would make him upset. At least, not within his hearing. She had managed to convince Ron and Hermione to do her Christmas shopping for her, asking Ron to get something his sister would like, and Hermione to get something for Maeve for Amity. Of course, she had also told the two to pick something out that they liked. When they tried to argue, she shook her head.

"Look, clearly I'm not going to be able to get anything for anyone since I'm stuck here. This way the gifts are personalized," she pointed out. Ron and Hermione looked tempted to argue with her, but her brother had just rounded the corner. Hermione muttered something about it not being personalized if she didn't get it, but Skazzy ignored her.

This way she knew that at least three people liked what she got them. And Hermione was probably better at picking a gift out than she was anyway. It's not like she had ever done it before.

On the day of the trip, Harry decided he was going to spend the day read a book on brooms so he could stop using the school one in his bed. He had given the Invisibility Cloak to Skazzy the night before so she could slip into the dorm with him. After all, there would be no one in there except Harry.

Their plan got derailed on the third-floor.

"Hey, Harry! Nixie!"

Harry and Skazzy turned, halfway along the third-floor corridor, to see the twins peering out at Harry from behind a statue of a humpbacked, one-eyed witch. Skazzy frowned. Wasn't she under the Cloak? Shouldn't she be invisible? How did they know she was here?

"Skazzy's not here. What are you doing?" said Harry curiously. "How come you're not going to Hogsmeade?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go. And as for Nixie, well," said the one with an F on his sweater, with a mysterious wink. "Just come in here..."

He nodded toward an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed statue. Harry followed Fred and George inside. Skazzy followed them, taking off the cloak while she was at it since it was no use pretending to not be there. The G sweater wearing twin closed the door quietly and then turned, beaming, to look at Harry and Skazzy.

"Early Christmas present for you, Harry. We don't mind if you share with Nixie here," he said, patting her on the head. Skazzy scowled.

The twin who was probably George pulled something from inside his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. It was a large, square, very worn piece of parchment with nothing written on it. Harry, suspecting one of Fred and George's jokes, stared at it. Skazzy was also unimpressed.

"What's that supposed to be?" Skazzy asked when it was clear that the twins were expecting them to be amazed.

"This, Nixie, is the secret of our success," said Most-Likely Fred, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you two," said Probably George, "but we decided last night, your need's greater than ours."

"Anyway, we know it by heart," said Most-Likely Fred. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And how exactly is an old piece of parchment going to help us?" Harry asked dryly.

"A bit of old parchment!" said Probably George, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

Whoops. Oh well, she didn't actually have to know which twin was which. It wasn't like they went anywhere without the other.

"Well... when we were in our first year, Harry, when we were like Nixie here, young, carefree, and innocent" Harry snorted. Nixie agreed with the sentiment. She was not carefree and innocent. She couldn't remember ever being that way."Well, more innocent than we are now,we got into a spot of bother with Filch."

"We let off a dungbomb in the corridor and it upset him for some reason,"

"So he hauled us off to his office and started threatening us with the usual..."

"Detention..."

"Disembowelment..."

"And we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked _Confiscated and Highly Dangerous_."

"Don't tell me," said Harry, starting to grin.

"Well, what would you've done?" asked Fred, trying to look innocent. "George caused a diversion by dropping another dungbomb,"

"Hold on, how come Filch didn't take all your dungbombs away while you were in the office?" Skazzy asked.

Fred continued as if she hadn't spoken aloud. "I whipped the drawer open, and grabbed _t_ _his_."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," said George, taking the story over. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how to work it. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you know how to work it?" Harry said, raising an eyebrow at that.

"Oh yes," said Fred, smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"I don't think that's hard," Skazzy said dryly, looking from twin to twin. Both of them made a face at her before turning to the piece of parchment.

"You're winding me up," said Harry, looking dubiously at the ragged old bit of parchment.

"Oh, are we?" said George, a wicked smile on his face.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly, and said, " _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good_."

And at once, thin ink lines began to spread like a spider's web from the point that George's wand had touched. They joined each other, they crisscrossed, they fanned into every corner of the parchment; then words began to blossom across the top, great, curly green words, that proclaimed:

 _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

It was a map showing every detail of the Hogwarts castle and grounds. But the truly remarkable thing were the tiny ink dots moving around it, each labeled with a name in minuscule writing. Astounded, Harry and Skazzy bent over it. A labeled dot in the top left corner showed that Professor Dumbledore was pacing his study; the caretaker's cat, Mrs. Norris, was prowling the second floor; and Peeves the Poltergeist was currently bouncing around the trophy room.

"That's how you knew I was there," Skazzy said, pointing to the clump with their names. "Being invisible doesn't make you not there."

Harry, however, was looking shocked at something else.

"This map shows secret passages! And they all seem to go..." Harry trailed off, looking at the map in amazement

"Right into Hogsmeade," finished Fred, tracing one of them with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four" he pointed them out to four of them, "but we're sure we're the only ones who know about _these_. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in. Completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance. But this one here, this one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," sighed George, patting the heading of the map. "We owe them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of lawbreakers," said Fred solemnly.

"Right," said George briskly. "Don't forget to wipe it after you've used it"

"Or anyone can read it," Fred said warningly. "Just tap it again and say, 'Mischief managed!' And it'll go blank."

"So, young Potters," said Fred, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," said George, winking. They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way. Skazzy watched them go. She didn't know what to think.

On the one hand, her brother would be ecstatic to go to Hogsmeade with his friends, but on the other... At least inside the castle she could pretend he was a little bit safer. Hogsmeade was less likely to be safe. And she wouldn't be able to watch him.

She was distracted by her brother. Without any warning, he rolled up the map, stuffed it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches, checking to see anyone. Skazzy looked under his arm to see no one. Very carefully, he edged out of the room and behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

"Hold on, wait," Skazzy said, when it became apparent what her brother was going to do. "Let's think this through, right?"

"What's to think? I won't have to go past the Dementors, and Fred and George have been using this fine with no consequences," Harry said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Okay sure. But you're just going to pop up and surprise Ron and Hermione in Hogsmeade? What if someone notices you? You are kind of distinctive looking, what with that scar," Skazzy pointed out. "Also, Hogsmeade is probably less safe than..."

"Sirius Black broke into Hogwarts. If he can break in here, then I'm not safe anywhere," Harry said dismissively. Skazzy scowled, unable to argue with his logic.

"If you're going, I'm going too," she said, folding her arms. Harry stared at her.

"You are definitely going to stick out," he said, looking at her scar. Skazzy's eye darkened, then brightened.

"I have the Invisibility Cloak!" she said, holding it up triumphantly. "No one can see me. Therefore, you'll have extra protection."

"If Ron and Hermione won't scare him off, what makes you think you'll be able to?" Harry asked, amused.

"I'll be invisible," Skazzy answered. _Because I won't be trying to scare him. I'll be trying to stop him from attacking you while you get away_ she thought to herself. Harry shook his head, sighed, and muttered something while tapping the statue.

At once, the statue's hump opened wide enough to admit a fairly thin person. Harry glanced quickly up and down the corridor, then tucked the map away again, hoisted himself into the hole headfirst, and pushed himself forward. Skazzy quickly followed him since she didn't actually hear what he had said.

She slid a considerable way down what felt like a stone slide, then landed on cold, damp earth. Harry had already lit his wand, and Skazzy could see that they were in a very narrow, low, earthy passageway.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Harry asked, starting down the passage. Skazzy scowled.

"A huge disaster," Skazzy said, before lighting her own wand and following.

The passage twisted and turned, more like the burrow of a giant rabbit than anything else. They hurried along it, stumbling now and then on the uneven floor, both with their wands out in front of them.

After what felt like an hour, they came to the foot of some worn stone steps, which rose out of sight above them. Careful not to make any noise, Harry began to climb. Skazzy followed him, making sure he never got out of her sight. He stopped suddenly after about two hundred or so steps. Skazzy stopped so that she wouldn't bump into him.

"What's up?" she whispered to him.

"Trapdoor. Pass up the Cloak," his voice came down. Skazzy did so, happy he wasn't completely forgetting his safety. She waited while he looked around and hauled himself up.

"Safe," he said, taking the cloak off so Skazzy could see him. She followed him up and looked around.

They were in a cellar full of wooden crates and boxes. Harry replaced the trapdoor silently after Skazzy came out, and both stared as it disappeared. It blended so perfectly with the dusty floor that it was impossible to tell it was there. Harry crept slowly toward the wooden staircase that led upstairs, before Skazzy grab his arm and shook her head. She indicated that they should put the Cloak on before going up, since they could hear voices. No need for someone to derail everything after all that walking.

Just as Harry and Skazzy had made sure they were covered, they suddenly heard a door open much closer at hand; somebody was about to come downstairs.

"And get another box of Jelly Slugs, dear, they've nearly cleaned us out..." said a woman's voice.

A pair of feet was coming down the staircase. Skazzy and Harry held their breath as they stayed close to the wall. As soon as the bald man had started searching the boxes for something, the two of them made their way up the stairs.

They found themselves behind the counter of Honeydukes.

Honeydukes was so crowded with Hogwarts students that no one looked twice at Harry when he slipped out from the Cloak. Skazzy scowled, following him as close as she could. Honeydukes was not a place for the Cloak to be used, clearly. There were too many students she could accidentally bump into. She was invisible, not intangible.

There were shelves upon shelves of the sweets, more than Skazzy had been able to imagine when she was younger. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-colored toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavor Beans. Along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Droobles Best Blowing Gum (which filled a room with bluebell-colored bubbles that refused to pop for days), the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints Hermione had said she might get her dentist parents, tiny black Pepper Imps ('breathe fire for your friends!'), Ice Mice ('hear your teeth chatter and squeak!'), peppermint creams shaped like toads ('hop realistically in the stomach!'), fragile sugar-spun quills, and exploding bonbons.

'Exploding bonbons?' Skazzy mouthed, before remembering she was invisible so Harry couldn't see. Instead, he was squeezing his way through groups of students trying to find his friends. Skazzy tried to follow him without crashing into people. By the time Skazzy had managed to find him again, he was already talking with Ron and Hermione.

"What are you doing here? How, how did you, here?" Hermione was saying, staring at Harry in shock.

"Wow!" said Ron, looking very impressed, "You've learned to Apparate!"

"'Course I haven't," said Harry. He dropped his voice so that no one else could hear him and told them all about the Marauder's Map. Skazzy scowled again. There was no need to tell them about it until it was necessary. This did not seem necessary. She stayed quiet, watching disapprovingly. Since she was invisible, no one noticed.

"How come Fred and George never gave it to _me_!" whispered Ron, outraged. "I'm their brother!"

"But Harry isn't going to keep it!" said Hermione, as though the idea were ludicrous. "He's going to hand it in to Professor McGonagall, aren't you, Harry?"

That was why Harry shouldn't have mentioned it. Skazzy glared at Hermione. Give up a map that would be able to protect him? If it could find her under the Cloak, then Harry could keep it on him and check it for Black. Black would never be able to sneak up on him.

It never occurred to Skazzy that turning it in to a professor would help them find Sirius. She just assumed they were going to be useless, like all the other adults in her life. Better safe than sorry.

"No, I'm not!" said Harry.

"Are you mad?" said Ron, goggling at Hermione. "Hand in something that good?"

"If I hand it in, I'll have to say where I got it! Filch would know Fred and George had nicked it!"

"But what about Sirius Black?" Hermione hissed. "He could be using one of the passages on that map to get into the castle! The teachers have got to know!"

Skazzy couldn't help herself at this.

"I doubt the owners of this shop would be willing to have Dementors guarding their basement," Skazzy said, startling Hermione and Ron. "Four of them Filch knows about, one is caved in, and the last has the Whomping Willow as a guard. I'm pretty sure that one is safe."

"Did I mention Skazzy came?" Harry mentioned, hiding a smile as Ron and Hermione looked around for the voice before realizing she must be wearing the Cloak. Ron looked impressed while Hermione didn't seem to know what to think.

"See?" said Ron quietly. "I'd like to see Black try and break into Honeydukes with Dementors swarming all over the village. Anyway, Hermione, the Honeydukes owners would hear a break-in, wouldn't they? They live over the shop!"

"Yes, but, but," Heroine seemed to be struggling to find another problem. "Look, Harry still shouldn't be coming into Hogsmeade. He hasn't got a signed form! And Skazzy isn't even a third year yet! If anyone finds out, they'll be in so much trouble! And it's not nightfall yet. What if Sirius Black turns up today? Now?"

"He'd have a job spotting Harry in this," said Ron, nodding through the mullioned windows at the thick, swirling snow. "Come on, Hermione, it's Christmas. Harry deserves a break."

"I've got the Cloak. If Black does show up, well, no one will see Harry," Skazzy added.

Hermione bit her lip, looking extremely worried.

"Are you going to report us?" Harry asked her, grinning. Hermione looked resigned.

"Seen the Fizzing Whizbees, Harry?" said Ron, grabbing him and leading him over to their barrel. "And the Jelly Slugs? And the Acid Pops? Fred gave me one of those when I was seven. It burnt a hole right through my tongue. I remember Mum walloping him with her broomstick." Ron stared broodingly into the Acid Pop box. "Reckon Fred'd take a bite of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?"

When Ron and Hermione had paid for all their sweets, the group left Honeydukes for the blizzard outside.

Hogsmeade looked like one of those Christmas cards Aunt Petunia sent to people every year; the little thatched cottages and shops were all covered in a layer of crisp snow; there were holly wreaths on the doors and strings of enchanted candles hanging in the trees.

Well, alright. Maybe the strings of enchanted candles would never be found on those cards, but everything else was picturesque. She quickly found herself shivering from the cold.

Invisibility Cloak, check. Winter cloak, no check. Looking at her brother, she grinned to find him shivering as well. At least she wasn't the only one suffering.

"That's the post office," Hermione pointed out.

"Zonko's is up there," Ron pointed to a different store.

"We could go up to the Shrieking Shack," Hermione suggested.

"Tell you what," said Ron, his teeth chattering, "shall we go for a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks?"

Harry nodded, and Skazzy didn't speak up. The wind was fierce and her hands were freezing, going inside sounded like a good idea. A few minutes later the small group, three visible, one not, were entering a tiny inn.

It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar.

"That's Madam Rosmerta," said Ron. "I'll get the drinks, shall I?" he added, going slightly red.

Harry and Hermione made their way to the back of the room with Skazzy following. She was trying to avoid people, so it was slow going. They ended up sitting at a small, vacant table between the window and a handsome Christmas tree which stood next to the fireplace. Harry and Skazzy both sat on the side nearest the fire. Ron came back five minutes later, carrying four foaming tankards of hot butterbeer. He slid in next to Harry, not realizing both Harry and Skazzy were there.

"Hey Weasley, go to the other side," Skazzy said, after she got pushed against the wall.

"Sorry," Ron said, getting up to sit next to Hermione. Skazzy was sure that if the wind hadn't already made his ears red, they would be turning pink.

"Merry Christmas!" he said, raising his tankard. Skazzy risked someone seeing something weird by reaching from under the cloak to grab her tankard.

Skazzy took a hesitant drink. It was the most delicious thing she'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of her from the inside. She relaxed a bit and drank more.

Harry looked over the rim of his tankard and choked. Skazzy followed his gaze and cursed under her breath.

Professors McGonagall and Flitwick had just entered the pub with a flurry of snowflakes, shortly followed by Hagrid, who was deep in conversation with a portly man in a lime-green bowler hat and a pinstriped cloak.

In an instant, Skazzy threw the cloak over Harry while Hermione whispered a spell.

The Christmas tree beside their table rose a few inches off the ground, drifted sideways, and landed with a soft thump right in front of their table, hiding them from view. Added insurance, since someone might question why two people were sharing a bench at an otherwise unoccupied table. Harry and Skazzy listened to the grunts and sighs of the teachers and pinstriped man as they sat down.

Then came a woman's voice.

"A small gillywater,"

"Mine," said Professor McGonagall's voice.

"Four pints of mulled mead,"

"Ta, Rosmerta," said Hagrid.

"A cherry syrup and soda with ice and umbrellay"

"Mmm!" said Professor Flitwick, smacking his lips.

"So you'll be the red currant rum, Minister."

"Thank you, Rosmerta, m'dear," came the voice that must belong to the pinstriped man. "Lovely to see you again, I must say. Have one yourself, won't you? Come and join us..."

"Well, thank you very much, Minister."

"Minister?" Skazzy whispered to Harry, barely moving her mouth.

"Later," Harry said, frowning. "How are we going to get back?"

"They can't stay here forever, right?" Skazzy sounded doubtful even to herself. They were distracted from the problem by Madam Rosmerta.

"So, what brings you to this neck of the woods, Minister?"

"What else, m'dear, but Sirius Black? I daresay you heard what happened up at the school at Halloween?" the minister whispered.

"I did hear a rumor," admitted Madam Rosmerta. "Do you think Black's still in the area, Minister?"

"I'm sure of it," said the minister shortly.

"You know that the Dementors have searched the whole village twice?" said Madam Rosmerta, a slight edge to her voice. "Scared all my customers away... It's very bad for business, Minister."

"Rosmerta, dear, I don't like them any more than you do," said the minister uncomfortably. "Necessary precaution... unfortunate, but there you are... I've just met some of them. They're in a fury against Dumbledore since he won't let them inside the castle grounds."

"I should think not," said Professor McGonagall sharply. "How are we supposed to teach with those horrors floating around?"

"Hear, hear!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick.

"All the same," demurred the minister, "they are here to protect you all from something much worse... We all know what Black's capable of..."

"Do you know, I still have trouble believing it," said Madam Rosmerta thoughtfully. "Of all the people to go over to the Dark Side, Sirius Black was the last I'd have thought... I mean, I remember him when he was a boy at Hogwarts. If you'd told me then what he was going to become, I'd have said you'd had too much mead."

"You don't know the half of it, Rosmerta," said the minister gruffly. "The worst he did isn't widely known."

"The worst?" said Madam Rosmerta, her voice alive with curiosity. "Worse than murdering all those poor people, you mean?"

"I certainly do," said the minister.

"I can't believe that. What could possibly be worse?" Madam Rosmerta asked the question that Skazzy wanted answered.

"You say you remember him at Hogwarts, Rosmerta," murmured Professor McGonagall. "Do you remember who his best friend was?"

"Naturally," said Madam Rosmerta, with a small laugh. "Never saw one without the other, did you? The number of times I had them in here... Ooh, they used to make me laugh. Quite the double act, Sirius Black and James Potter!"

Skazzy and Harry stared at each other, surprised. Their father had been friends with a Death Eater?

"Precisely," said Professor McGonagall. "Black and Potter. Ringleaders of their little gang. Both very bright, of course, exceptionally bright, in fact, but I don't think we've ever had such a pair of troublemakers..."

"I dunno," chuckled Hagrid. "Fred and George Weasley could give 'em a run fer their money."

"You'd have thought Black and Potter were brothers!" chimed in Professor Flitwick. "Inseparable!"

"Of course they were," said the minister. "Potter trusted Black beyond all his other friends. Nothing changed when they left school. Black was best man when James married Lily. Then they named him godfather to Harry. Harry has no idea, of course. You can imagine how the idea would torment him."

"Because Black turned out to be in league with You-Know-Who?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Worse even than that, m'dear..." the minister dropped his voice and proceeded in a sort of low rumble. "Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know-Who wasn't an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm."

'They knew?' Skazzy mouthed to Harry. He shook his head, still listening to the conversation that appeared like it would change everything. This was the most Skazzy had ever heard about her parents before. She wasn't sure how she felt, knowing they were apparently best friends with someone in league with their murderer. How exactly does one not realize that one's best friend is willing to sell his soul to the highest bidder? Just more reason to not trust people.

"How does that work?" said Madam Rosmerta in response to the minister, breathless with interest. Professor Flitwick cleared his throat.

"An immensely complex spell," he said squeakily, "involving the magical concealment of a secret inside a single, living soul. The information is hidden inside the chosen person, termed Secret-Keeper, and is henceforth impossible to find. Unless, of course, the Secret-Keeper chooses to divulge it. As long as the Secret-Keeper refused to speak, You-Know-Who could search the village where Lily and James were staying for years and never find them, not even if he had his nose pressed against their sitting room window!"

"So Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper?" whispered Madam Rosmerta.

"Naturally," said Professor McGonagall. "James Potter told Dumbledore that Black would die rather than tell where they were, that Black was planning to go into hiding himself... and yet, Dumbledore remained worried. I remember him offering to be the Potters' Secret-Keeper himself."

"He suspected Black?" gasped Madam Rosmerta.

"He was sure that somebody close to the Potters had been keeping You-Know-Who informed of their movements," said Professor McGonagall darkly. "Indeed, he had suspected for some time that someone on our side had turned traitor and was passing a lot of information to You-Know-Who."

"But James Potter insisted on using Black?"

"He did," said the minister heavily. "And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed..."

"Black betrayed them?" breathed Madam Rosmerta.

"He did indeed. Black was tired of his double-agent role, he was ready to declare his support openly for You-Know-Who, and he seems to have planned this for the moment of the Potters' death. But, as we all know, You-Know-Who met his downfall in little Harry Potter. Powers gone, horribly weakened, he fled. And this left Black in a very nasty position indeed. His master had fallen at the very moment when he, Black, had shown his true colors as a traitor. He had no choice but to run for it..."

"Filthy, stinkin' turncoat!" Hagrid said, so loudly that half the bar went quiet.

"Shh!" said Professor McGonagall.

"I met him!" growled Hagrid. "I musta bin the last ter see him before he killed all them people! It was me what rescued Harry from Lily an' James's house after they was killed! Jus' got him outta the ruins, poor little thing, with a great slash across his forehead, an' his parents dead... an' Sirius Black turns up, on that flyin' motorbike he used ter ride. Never occurred ter me what he was doin' there. I didn' know he'd bin Lily an' James's Secret-Keeper. Thought he'd jus' heard the news o' You-Know-Who's attack an' come ter see what he could do. White an' shakin', he was. An' yeh know what I did? I COMFORTED THE MURDERIN' TRAITOR!" Hagrid roared.

"Hagrid, please!" said Professor McGonagall. "Keep your voice down!"

"How was I ter know he wasn' upset abou' Lily, James an' Phoenix? It was You-Know-Who he cared abou'! An' then he says, 'Give Harry ter me, Hagrid, I'm his godfather, I'll look after him...' Ha! But I'd had me orders from Dumbledore, an' I told Black no, Dumbledore said Harry was ter go ter his aunt an' uncle's. Black argued, but in the end he gave in. Told me ter take his motorbike ter get Harry there. 'I won't need it anymore,' he says.

"I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then. He loved that motorbike, what was he givin' it ter me for? Why wouldn' he need it anymore? Fact was, it was too easy ter trace. Dumbledore knew he'd bin the Potters' Secret-Keeper. Black knew he was goin' ter have ter run fer it that night, knew it was a matter o' hours before the Ministry was after him.

" _But what if I'd given Harry to him, eh?_ I bet he'd've pitched him off the bike halfway out ter sea. His bes' friends' son! But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to 'em anymore."

A long silence followed Hagrid's story.

"I thought that Phoenix survived," Madam Rosmerta said, slowly.

Skazzy found herself nodding, although no one could see. Where was she in this tale?

"She did. I didn' find her in the rubble at first. I was abou' ready ter leave when Black stopped me. He must've bin in shock, 'cause he says 'Wait, Hagrid. Did you hear that?' We was both quiet, and then it came again, a cry. Black moved fast then, shiftin' rubble to find the littlest Potter. He had ter give her to me. Didn' make sense ter separate the two. 'Specially with Lily an' James dead. I woulda been suspicious, and he wouldn' be able ter disappear."

Skazzy felt cold. She was only alive because of Black? The reason her parents were dead? Hagrid had written her off as dead? Harry grabbed her hand and squeezed, reassurance for both of them she was alive.

Then Madam Rosmerta said with some satisfaction, "But he didn't manage to disappear, did he? The Ministry of Magic caught up with him next day!"

"Alas, if only we had," said the minister said bitterly. "It was not we who found him. It was little Peter Pettigrew, another of the Potters' friends. Maddened by grief, no doubt, and knowing that Black had been the Potters' Secret-Keeper, he went after Black himself."

"Pettigrew... that fat little boy who was always tagging around after them at Hogwarts?" said Madam Rosmerta.

"Hero-worshipped Black and Potter," said Professor McGonagall. "Never quite in their league, talent-wise. I was often rather sharp with him. You can imagine how I, how I regret that now..." She sounded as though she had a sudden head cold.

"There, now, Minerva," said the minister awkwardly, "Pettigrew died a hero's death. Eyewitnesses, Muggles, of course, we wiped their memories later, told us how Pettigrew cornered Black. They say he was sobbing, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' And then he went for his wand. Well, of course, Black was quicker. Blew Pettigrew to smithereens..."

Professor McGonagall blew her nose and said thickly, "Stupid boy... foolish boy... he was always hopeless at dueling... should have left it to the Ministry..."

"I tell yeh, if I'd got ter Black before little Pettigrew did, I wouldn't've messed around with wands — I'd 've ripped him limb. From. Limb," Hagrid growled.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Hagrid," said the minister sharply. "Nobody but trained Hit Wizards from the Magical Law Enforcement Squad would have stood a chance against Black once he was cornered. I was Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time, and I was one of the first on the scene after Black murdered all those people. I, well, I will never forget it. I still dream about it sometimes. A crater in the middle of the street, so deep it had cracked the sewer below. Bodies everywhere. Muggles screaming. And Black standing there laughing, with what was left of Pettigrew in front of him... a heap of bloodstained robes and a few, a few fragments..."

The minister's voice stopped abruptly. There was the sound of five noses being blown. Skazzy wasn't really listening, still stuck on how close she had been to being declared dead and possibly owing that monster her life.

"Well, there you have it, Rosmerta," said the minister thickly. "Black was taken away by twenty members of the Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Pettigrew received the Order of Merlin, First Class, which I think was some comfort to his poor mother. Black's been in Azkaban ever since."

Madam Rosmerta let out a long sigh. "Is it true he's mad, Minister?"

"I wish I could say that he was," said the minister slowly. "I certainly believe his master's defeat unhinged him for a while. The murder of Pettigrew and all those Muggles was the action of a cornered and desperate man, cruel and pointless. Yet I met Black on my last inspection of Azkaban. You know, most of the prisoners in there sit muttering to themselves in the dark; there's no sense in them... but I was shocked at how _normal_ Black seemed. He spoke quite rationally to me. It was unnerving. You'd have thought he was merely bored. He even asked if I'd finished with my newspaper, cool as you please, said he missed doing the crossword. Yes, I was astounded at how little effect the Dementors seemed to be having on him. He was one of the most heavily guarded in the place, you know. Dementors outside his door day and night."

"But what do you think he's broken out to do?" said Madam Rosmerta. "Good gracious, Minister, he isn't trying to rejoin You-Know-Who, is he?"

"I daresay that is his, er, eventual plan," said the minister evasively. "But we hope to catch Black long before that. I must say, You-Know-Who alone and friendless is one thing... but give him back his most devoted servant, and I shudder to think how quickly he'll rise again..."

There was a small chink of glass on wood. Someone had set down their glass.

"You know, Cornelius, if you're dining with the headmaster, we'd better head back up to the castle," said Professor McGonagall.

One by one, Skazzy listened as everyone got up and left the Three Broomsticks.

"Harry, Skazzy?"

Ron and Hermione were staring in the general direction of where Harry had been before Skazzy had thrown the cloak over him. They were both lost for words.

Skazzy clenched the hand that wasn't holding Harry's.

Sirius Black was responsible for Voldemort killing their parents.

He was responsible for the two having to live with their aunt.

He was responsible for the Dementors this year.

He was apparently the reason she was alive.

And he wanted her brother dead.


	10. A Decidedly Not Happy Holiday

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I'm just borrowing it. I also don't know how everything in JK Rowling's world works, so if anything is wrong, it's probably because I forgot/missed it.

This chapter is, well, certainly not light and fun. People discover Skazzy's secret.

I'd like to know how I've done, and whether people like what I'm doing, or if they don't like it, what they don't like about, so please review. This chapter was supposed to go up until Christmas day and getting presents, but it decided that it was ending early.

* * *

Skazzy didn't have a very clear idea of how they had managed to get back into the Honeydukes cellar, through the tunnel, and into the castle once more. All she knew was that the return trip seemed to take no time at all, and that she hardly noticed what she and her brother were doing, because she was still trying to wrap her head around what she had just heard.

"Why did nobody ever tell us? Dumbledore, Hagrid, Mr. Weasley, Fudge... why didn't anyone ever mention this to us?" Harry asked, anger surging through his words. Skazzy didn't know what to say.

If it weren't for Black she'd be dead.

But if it weren't for Black, she'd have parents.

She was stuck in a loop, breaking off from Harry to go to her common room. She needed sleep. She needed to not remember. She needed dreamless sleep potion.

If it weren't for Black she'd be dead but if it weren't for Black she'd have parents.

She didn't even notice that she finished her entire supply of dreamless sleep potion, having had far more than she meant. She managed to get to her bed before blacking out.

The potion didn't work this time. Not properly.

It never would again.

* * *

Sirius was in a cave in the Forbidden Forest, waiting on the cat to bring some food. He closed his eyes and had a bit of a nap. When he woke up, the cat wasn't the one in the cave. There was a student on the ground, passed out. He was glad he had stayed in his animagus form. He crept nearer to the student, before morphing into his human form when he saw who it was.

"Phoenix! Phoenix, wake up!" he whispered, shaking the girl. She didn't move, didn't open her eyes. "Dammit kid, come on. Please, don't have been kissed by a Dementor. Please."

She didn't respond to his desperate pleas. He felt for a pulse, and relaxed a tiny bit. She wasn't dead. She wasn't staring blankly at a wall. Maybe she was fine.

But why was she outside? It was dark out, and it was the last night of term. She shouldn't be out, didn't she know it was dangerous? He rested a hand on her forehead, before cursing. Phoenix seemed to have a fever. Why was she out here if she was sick?

After a few hours of not moving, she seemed to wake up.

"Thank Merlin, kid, you had me worried," Sirius said, relief in his voice. Phoenix didn't appear to have heard him. He frowned. "Phoenix?"

She was shaking, and her eyes were staring off into the distance.

"Phoenix?" Sirius was worried. "Phoenix, you alright? Come on kid."

"More..." she started.

"More what, more what?" Sirius asked, relieved that she hadn't lost her soul.

"Potion."

She did not just say that. She was twelve, she shouldn't be taking any potions on her own that would leave her like this. And he couldn't imagine Madam Pomfrey allowing one of the people in her charge to leave the hospital wing, especially not like this.

"What potion?" Sirius asked, hoping she was at least aware enough to answer the question. "Come on kid, what did you take?"

"No dreams," she said, shaking violently. "No more dreams."

"Dreamless sleep potion? Is that what you took? How much?" Sirius asked, getting a handful of snow, tearing a piece of his shirt off and soaking it in the snow and placing it over Phoenix's head.

"No dreams. Not ever. Need more."

Sirius looked up for the cat, in case it had come in at some point. He cursed again. Phoenix Potter needed to go to the Hospital Wing. How the hell was he going to get her there? He couldn't leave her, and if he went out he was risking both Phoenix and his souls. If the cat was here, he could get it to bring someone out here. It was smart enough to know Peter was bad news, so it would be smart enough to make someone follow it. Damn. Damn.

The only thing he could do was watch, and try and keep her comfortable.

"Come on Phoenix, you can't die now."

* * *

Back in the castle, one boy was having murderous thoughts. Three girls had not said anything about their missing roommate. A cat waited outside of a boys' dorm room, tail twitching. A man disguised as a rat had a fitful sleep.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Sirius was getting frantic. He kept checking for the cat, and watching Phoenix, all while looking out for Dementors.

Phoenix hadn't actually woken up at all. She would stop sleeping, but would just mutter about something called it and needing more potion. Begging for more potion. Would he be able to get to the castle with her? He was still weak, and hadn't been using a wand much, and he didn't think he'd be able to protect her against everything in the Forest.

Damn. Damn. Damn Pettigrew. Damn Voldemort. Damn James for listening to him and not Lily.

Damn.

* * *

Inside of the castle, most of the population was gone. Two friends argued with another friend. One Slytherin reveled in being the only one in his house. Two Ravenclaw first years started their homework in the library. A professor received bad news. Another professor wondered where everything had gone wrong. A third wished he hadn't lost his best friend. A kitten meowed, trying to find someone to play with it before giving up and curling up in front of a fire. Why had she been left there alone?

Nobody noticed a missing Hufflepuff.

* * *

Harry was annoyed with his friends. He hadn't gotten enough sleep, and they were teaming up against him. He wished that he was with Skazzy, alone in her dorm instead of here with his friends. She was probably having some nice peace and quiet without two well meaning people who just didn't understand.

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione was saying, peering anxiously into his face.

"I'm fine," said Harry, scowling at Hermione.

"Harry, listen," said Hermione, exchanging a look with Ron, "you must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

"Like what?" said Harry.

"Like trying to go after Black," said Ron sharply.

Harry could tell they had rehearsed this conversation while he had been asleep. He didn't say anything. He would just wait for them to finish.

"You won't, will you, Harry?" asked Hermione anxiously. She was clasping and unclasping her hands.

"Because Black's not worth dying for," said Ron. Harry looked at them. They didn't seem to understand at all. It was times like this when Harry understood why Skazzy was often annoyed with them, and wondered why they weren't the same as the two Potters. How could they go through first year and second year with him and _not_ be more...jaded. He sighed, there was no way to get around this.

"D'you know what I see and hear every time a Dementor gets too near me?" Ron and Hermione shook their heads, looking apprehensive. "I can hear my mum screaming and pleading with Voldemort. And if you'd heard your mum screaming like that, just about to be killed, you wouldn't forget it in a hurry. And if you found out someone who was supposed to be a friend of hers betrayed her and sent Voldemort after her..."

"There's nothing you can do!" said Hermione, looking stricken. "The Dementors will catch Black and he'll go back to Azkaban and, and serve him right!"

"You heard what Fudge said. Black isn't affected by Azkaban like normal people are. It's not a punishment for him like it is for the others," Harry shot back.

"So what are you saying?" said Ron, looking very tense. "You want to, what, kill Black or something?"

"Don't be silly," said Hermione in a panicky voice. "Harry doesn't want to kill anyone, do you, Harry?"

Again, Harry didn't answer. He didn't know what he wanted to do. He knew what his sister would probably want to do. But all he knew was that the idea of doing nothing, while Black was at liberty, was more than he could stand.

"Malfoy knows," he said, changing gears. "Remember what he said to me in Potions? 'If it was me, I'd hunt him down myself... I'd want revenge.'"

"You're going to take Malfoy's advice instead of ours?" said Ron furiously. "Listen... you know what Pettigrew's mother got back after Black had finished with him? Do you? Dad told me. She got the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Pettigrew's finger in a box. That was the biggest bit of him they could find. A finger. Black's a madman, Harry, and he's dangerous..."

"Malfoy's dad must have told him," said Harry, ignoring Ron. "He was right in Voldemort's inner circle so obviously, the Malfoys knew Black was working for Voldemort..."

"...and Malfoy'd love to see you blown into about a million pieces, just like Black did to Pettigrew! Get a grip. Malfoy's just hoping you'll get yourself killed before he has to play you at quidditch," Ron said, trying not to lose his temper while also making Harry see reason.

"Harry, _please_ ," said Hermione, her eyes now shining with tears, " _Please_ be sensible. Black did a terrible, terrible thing, but d-don't put yourself in danger, it's what Black wants... Oh, Harry, you'd be playing right into Black's hands if you went looking for him. Your mum and dad wouldn't want you to get hurt, would they? They'd never want you to go looking for Black! And what about Skazzy?"

"I'll never know what my parents would have wanted, because thanks to Black, I've never spoken to them. And Skazzy would do what ever I decided," said Harry shortly. Sometimes, he felt that he should be more concerned that his sister was more likely to just do what he said, but not right now. Now he was glad there was one person who would agree with him. Skazzy had always been just a tad more bloodthirsty.

There was a silence in which Crookshanks stretched, flexing his claws before finding a new position to curl up in front of the fire. Ron's pocket quivered.

"Look," said Ron, obviously casting around for a change of subject, "it's the holidays! It's nearly Christmas! Let's, uh, let's go down and see Hagrid. We haven't visited him for ages!"

"No!" said Hermione quickly. "Harry isn't supposed to leave the castle, Ron!"

"Yeah, let's go," said Harry, sitting up, "and I can ask him how come he never mentioned Black when he told me all about my parents!"

Further discussion of Sirius Black plainly wasn't what Ron had had in mind. "Or you know, we could have a game of chess," he said hastily, "or Gobstones. Percy left a set..."

"You and Hermione can play. I'm going to visit Hagrid," said Harry firmly. "On my own or not."

Hermione and Ron exchanged looks, but went to get their cloaks from their dormitories and set off through the portrait hole, down through the empty castle and out through the oak front doors.

They made their way slowly down the lawn, making a shallow trench in the glittering, powdery snow, their socks and the hems of their cloaks soaked and freezing. There was a bigger trench that was clearly Hagrid walking to the castle and back. The Forbidden Forest looked as though it had been enchanted, each tree smattered with silver, and Hagrid's cabin looked like an iced cake.

Ron knocked, but there was no answer.

"He's not out, is he?" said Hermione, who was shivering under her cloak. "Who would be out in this weather?"

Ron had his ear to the door, frowning.

"There's a weird noise," he said. "Hold on, listen. Is that Fang?"

Harry and Hermione put their ears to the door too. From inside the cabin came a series of low, throbbing moans.

"Think we'd better go and get someone?" said Ron nervously.

"Hagrid!" called Harry, thumping the door ignoring Ron's suggestion. "Hagrid, are you in there?"

There was a sound of heavy footsteps, then the door creaked open. Hagrid stood there with his eyes red and swollen, tears splashing down the front of his leather vest.

"You've heard?" he bellowed, and he flung himself onto Harry's neck.

Hagrid being at least twice the size of a normal man, this was no laughing matter. Harry, about to collapse under Hagrid's weight, was rescued by Ron and Hermione, who each seized Hagrid under an arm and heaved him back into the cabin. Hagrid allowed himself to be steered into a chair and slumped over the table, sobbing uncontrollably, his face glazed with tears that dripped down into his tangled beard.

"Hagrid, what is it?" said Hermione, aghast. Harry spotted an official-looking letter lying open on the table.

"What's this, Hagrid?" Harry asked. Hagrid's sobs redoubled, but he shoved the letter toward Harry, who picked it up and read aloud.

 _'Dear Mr. Hagrid,_

 _Further to our inquiry into the attack by a Hippogriff on a student in your class, we have accepted the assurances of Professor Dumbledore that you bear no responsibility for the regrettable incident.'_

"Well, that's okay then, Hagrid!" Ron interrupted. "Malfoy hasn't got you fired." Ron clapped Hagrid on the shoulder. But Hagrid continued to sob, and waved one of his gigantic hands, inviting Harry to read on.

 _'However, we must register our concern about the Hippogriff in question. We have decided to uphold the official complaint of Mr. Lucius Malfoy, and this matter will therefore be taken to the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. The hearing will take place on April 20th, and we ask you to present yourself and your Hippogriff at the Committee's offices in London on that date. In the meantime, the Hippogriff should be kept tethered and isolated._

 _Yours in fellowship...'_

There was silence after Harry trailed off.

"Oh," said Ron finally. "But you said Buckbeak isn't a bad Hippogriff, Hagrid. I bet he'll get off."

"Yeh don' know them gargoyles at the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures!" choked Hagrid, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "They've got it in fer interestin' creatures!"

A sudden sound from the corner of Hagrid's cabin made Harry, Ron, and Hermione whip around. Buckbeak the Hippogriff was lying in the corner, chomping on something that was oozing blood all over the floor. Hermione winced.

"I couldn' leave him tied up out there in the snow!" choked Hagrid. "All on his own! At Christmas."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at one another. They had never seen eye to eye with Hagrid about what he called 'interesting creatures' and other people called 'terrifying monsters.' On the other hand, there didn't seem to be any particular harm in Buckbeak. In fact, by Hagrid's usual standards, he was positively cute.

"You'll have to put up a good strong defense, Hagrid," said Hermione, sitting down and laying a hand on Hagrid's massive forearm. "I'm sure you can prove Buckbeak is safe."

"Won' make no diff'rence!" sobbed Hagrid. "Them Disposal devils, they're all in Lucius Malfoy's pocket! Scared o' him! Ad if I lose the case, Buckbeak..."

Hagrid drew his finger swiftly across his throat, then gave a great wail and lurched forward, his face in his arms.

"What about Dumbledore, Hagrid?" said Harry.

"He's done more'n enough fer me already," groaned Hagrid. "Got enough on his plate what with keepin' them Dementors outta the castle, an' Sirius Black lurkin' around."

Ron and Hermione looked quickly at Harry, as though expecting him to start berating Hagrid for not telling him the truth about Black. But Harry couldn't bring himself to do it, not now that he saw Hagrid so miserable and scared. He had waited this long for an answer, he could wait a little longer.

"Listen, Hagrid," he said, "you can't give up. Hermione's right, you just need a good defense. You can call us as witnesses."

"I'm sure I've read about a case of Hippogriff-baiting," said Hermione thoughtfully, "where the Hippogriff got off. I'll look it up for you, Hagrid, and see exactly what happened."

Hagrid howled still more loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at Ron to help them. "Er, I can make a cup of tea?" said Ron. Harry stared at him. "It's what my mum does whenever someone's upset," Ron muttered defensively.

At last, after many more assurances of help, with a steaming mug of tea in front of him, Hagrid blew his nose on a handkerchief the size of a tablecloth and said, "Yer right. I can' afford to go ter pieces. Gotta pull meself together..."

Fang the boar hound came timidly out from under the table and laid his head on Hagrid's knee.

"I've not bin meself lately," said Hagrid, stroking Fang with one hand and mopping his face with the other. "Worried abou' Buckbeak, an' no one likin' me classes..."

"We do like them!" lied Hermione at once.

"Yeah, they're great!" said Ron, crossing his fingers under the table. "Er, how are the flobberworms?"

"Dead," said Hagrid gloomily. "Too much lettuce."

"Oh no!" said Ron, his lip twitching as he tried to hide a smile.

"An' them Dementors make me feel ruddy terrible an' all," said Hagrid, with a sudden shudder. "Gotta walk past 'em ev'ry time I want a drink in the Three Broomsticks. 'S like bein' back in Azkaban all over again."

He fell silent, gulping his tea. Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched him breathlessly. They had never heard Hagrid talk about his brief spell in Azkaban the year before. He seemed determined to not admit it ever happened.

After a pause, Hermione asked timidly, "Is it awful in there, Hagrid?"

"Yeh've no idea," said Hagrid quietly. "Never bin anywhere like it. Thought I was goin' mad. Kep' goin' over horrible stuff in me mind... the day I got expelled from Hogwarts... day me dad died... day I had ter let Norbert go..."

His eyes filled with tears. Norbert was the baby dragon Hagrid had won in a game of cards Harry's first year. If that was one of the most horrible memories Hagrid had, Harry felt a little jealous. Saying goodbye to a pet couldn't be like losing two parents to a madman, and facing said madmen twice since coming to Hogwarts.

"Yeh can' really remember who yeh are after a while. An' yeh can' really see the point o' livin' at all. I used ter hope I'd jus' die in me sleep. When they let me out, it was like bein' born again, ev'rythin' came floodin' back, it was the bes' feelin' in the world. Mind, the Dementors weren't keen on lettin' me go."

"But you were innocent!" said Hermione, shocked. Hagrid snorted.

"Think that matters to them? They don' care. Long as they've got a couple o' hundred humans stuck there with 'em, so they can leech all the happiness out of 'em, they don' give a damn who's guilty an' who's not."

Hagrid went quiet for a moment, staring into his tea. Then he said quietly, "Thought o' jus' letting Buckbeak go... tryin' ter make him fly away... but how d'yeh explain ter a Hippogriff it's gotta go inter hidin'? An', an' I'm scared o' breakin' the law..." He looked up at them, tears leaking down his face again. "I don' ever want ter go back ter Azkaban."

The trip to Hagrid's, though far from fun, had nevertheless had the effect Ron and Hermione had hoped. Though Harry had by no means forgotten about Black, he couldn't brood constantly on revenge if he wanted to help Hagrid win his case against the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

The trio got up to leave, before they heard a scratching at the door.

* * *

Finally, Sirius made a decision. He had to get Phoenix out of the woods. No matter what happened to him. Phoenix and Harry were more important. She'd already lost her parents and her eye. He couldn't let her lose her life. He couldn't be responsible for Harry losing all of his family. He took her in the direction of Hagrid's hut. Hagrid would probably be in his house, right? He hoped so.

"Hey Phoenix, do me a favor, okay?" Sirius whispered to her as he carried her to the hut. "Don't take potions. That's not the solution. You have to face things, alright? Bad dreams are definitely not going to go away if you ignore them. And this is dangerous. Got that? You aren't allowed to die before you've lived a long and happy life."

Phoenix didn't say anything, just kept shivering violently. Sirius got to the edge of the Forest, carefully placed Phoenix down on the snow covered ground before changing into his dog form and scratching at Hagrid's door. He heard movement from the other side, and ran into the Forest. He made sure to watch so that he could be sure that Hagrid would notice Phoenix. A red haired boy looked out of the door, before spotting Phoenix. He cursed, said something to someone inside, and Hagrid, Harry, and a brown haired girl ran out. Hagrid grabbed Phoenix and started to run back to the castle, cradling her in his arms. The three kids ran after them. Sirius watched until they were inside the castle, then he lay down on the ground and put his head on his paws.

Phoenix had to be alright.

She had to.

* * *

In a Room Outside of Time, two Unspeakables were distracted from their work on timelines and biographies by a scratching noise. When they looked over, the quill had stopped moving, leaving two columns in the book.

Happened:

Phoenix Potter was saved by Sirius Black.

Should:

Sirius Black did not leave his cave.

There was silence before the younger one spoke up.

"Does that mean she was suppose to die?"

"I don't know," the older one said. "I just don't know."

* * *

After Hagrid had brought an unconscious and frozen Phoenix Potter to the hospital wing, everyone began running around like headless chickens. Professor Dumbledore was quietly watching over everything, asking Harry, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid questions about how they had found her. Madam Pomfrey had run a diagnosis spell and blanched before leaving for another room. Professor Lupin, looking tired and worn and old, was sitting on a bed watching Phoenix. Professor Sprout was white, and holding Phoenix's hand. Professor McGonagall was standing behind the trio, a hand on Harry's shoulder.

Half of the reason was to stop Harry from getting in the way of Madam Pomfrey like he seemed to want to do. The other half was reassurance for herself. Phoenix Potter was cold, shaking, and what ever Madam Pomfrey had found wasn't good. Professor McGonagall hoped that Phoenix was okay.

She didn't know how Harry would take it if she died.

Or how Remus would take it.

Why had Phoenix Potter been outside?

Madam Pomfrey came back in, followed by someone from St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. The man went straight to Phoenix, checking her temperature, watching her shake, and casting a spell.

"I'm going to have to take her to St. Mungo's," the healer said, turning to Madam Pomfrey.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry yelled, struggling to get Professor McGonagall's hand off his shoulder.

"She's going through a nasty case of potions withdrawal."

"What?" Professor Lupin said, looking from the healer to Madam Pomfrey. "What do you mean, potions withdrawal? She, she didn't! She couldn't have!"

"She is. I can't tell how long she's been taking them, not until we get her to St. Mungo's. It looks like she's been taking irregular, high doses recently, and there's a remarkable build up of the potion in her system. Does anyone know when she started? The last time she had multiple nightmares in a row? Maybe the first time she slept so soundly no one could wake her up? How often she's been adding something to her drink before dinner, or having water before bed?" the healer asked, looking around.

No one said anything. Professor Sprout was stroking Phoenix's red locks, tucking them behind her ear. Harry was pale, watching his sister shake.

"What potion?"

Everyone turned to look at Hermione when her quiet voice broke the silence.

"Dreamless sleep potion. It looks like a simple version found in school textbooks," the healer said. Hermione closed her eyes, and recited the ingredients. The healer nodded. "That sounds like the one."

"Harry, I'm s-sorry," she began to cry. "The first time she made that potion was last year around Christmas. I thought that the potion she was doing was not a first year potion, but I was so busy with...I didn't say anything..."

Ron placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder, as she started crying, his face somber.

* * *

Phoenix Potter had been taking dreamless sleep potions for a year.

What could possibly give her constant nightmares?

Phoenix, smiling and happy and glowing little Phoenix, was far too pale and quiet and thin. She'd been taking potions for a year. Thinking back, Remus could see the little signs, how her hand occasionally (often) shook when she was holding her wand. How she always made sure to keep her hands under the desk when she wasn't practicing.

There was a whole four months he should have noticed something was wrong. He swore to protect her and her brother, and here he was, sitting on a bed, watching as his goddaughter was taken to St. Mungo's to be treated for long term potion addiction. He should have known. He should have watched her better.

Why didn't she come to anyone? Why hadn't she seen Madam Pomfrey before the nightmares got this bad. Why had no one else noticed?

* * *

James and Lily Potter would not be impressed with how their children had been raised. The fact that an eleven year old child decided that it was better for her to brew a potion she hadn't learned, rather than tell someone she had continuous bad nightmares was a definitely a warning sign. This wasn't suppose to happen.

Yes, Petunia and Vernon did not treat the two the way he would have liked them to treat their niece and nephew. He knew that from Mrs. Figg, Hagrid's recounting of giving Harry his letter, Phoenix's surprise at her own name, and even how the two children looked. Yes, Petunia and Vernon hadn't treated them right, but this?

This wasn't healthy, this wasn't okay, this wasn't supposed to happen. Harry and Phoenix were supposed to grow up outside of the limelight, unaware of the fame one of them had at the expense of their parents. They were supposed to have a happy childhood, not...not this.

Professor Dumbledore remembered the look on Phoenix's face when she confirmed that she wouldn't ever get sight back in her eye last year. She wasn't suppose to accept that easily. She was suppose to act like a child, get sad, say it was unfair. Not just...nod and move on. Not solve all her problems herself.

She needed to trust adults. She needed to know that they were there to protect her.

She wasn't suppose to know how cruel the world could be, not yet.

She was suppose to have a happy childhood with her brother.

Not this.

Never this.


	11. Fall Out

AN: This chapter was really hard to write, so sorry it took so long.

Disclaimer: I created Phoenix Potter, the character. I did not create her brother or his world, and have yet to receive my letter to attend Hogwarts and must conclude that this American school I've heard mentioned starts at a later age than Hogwarts.

* * *

Christmas spirit was definitely thin in the Gryffindor common room the next day. Harry had spent the night at St. Mungo's with Skazzy, while Ron and Hermione stayed in the tower, worried. They managed to fall asleep at some point, because they woke up to Harry coming back in through the portrait. They both scrambled up, turning red in embarrassment when they realized they had fallen asleep leaning against each other. Harry didn't seem to notice.

"How is she?" Hermione asked. Harry didn't say anything, he just sat down in a chair near the fire place. That was answer enough. Christmas presents could wait. The trio spent all day in the tower, Ron and Hermione just being supportive of Harry. Neither one knew what to say to him. Ron and Hermione played a few games of wizarding chess, glancing at Harry out of the corner of their eyes. After the sunlight disappeared from the window, Harry stirred.

"Why?"

It was a broken question. Ron and Hermione had never heard Harry sound like that. Defeated, small, alone. It was the first glimpse they had behind the wall he had built up at the Dursleys, a wall they hadn't even known was there.

Hermione's heart went out to Harry and Skazzy. They were so young, thirteen and twelve, and had lost so much. Harry didn't speak much about his family, and Skazzy said nothing that Hermione could remember, but what she knew didn't sound pleasant. Last year Ron had told her about the bars on their window, having to rescue them. Spoke about Skazzy not being able to sleep in a different room, how Skazzy was watching everything Ron did, being distrustful and ungrateful. How it was only because she was Harry's sister that he or the twins hadn't decked her for what she said to Ginny or their mother, and the fact that she almost died saving Ginny and Amity that prevented Ron from yelling at Skazzy for not telling anyone about the diary until too late. The fact that she almost died, and that she looked awful. ( _But she was already taking the potion by that point. How much was from withdrawal?_ ). What could cause an eleven year old to decide to self-medicate?

And yet, Skazzy seemed far more broken when Hermione first met her than Harry did. What had changed in that one year they were apart? Or was Harry just better with wearing a mask than they thought.

"I dunno, mate," Ron said, watching his best male friend. "I dunno."

Ron didn't know what to feel. He thought he knew how Harry might feel, thinking back to when he thought Ginny was dead last year, but there was something in the way Harry asked. He remembered a panic-stricken look on Skazzy's face when Harry got lost going to Diagon Alley, Skazzy's insistence on sleeping near her brother, no matter what. Even Harry's words, when he first met Skazzy. 'She'll warm up to you.', 'I know, just, give her a chance? Please?', 'She doesn't understand, but she'll learn.' He had never really appreciated how... _not_ alone he was in life. He had two parents who loved him, six siblings who he sometimes got annoyed with and yet still loved, extended family. Harry and Skazzy had no one. For the longest time there was only one other person

Having grown up in the magical world, Ron knew better than Harry and Hermione what exactly Skazzy had done. What with Harry being Harry, and Hermione knowing more magic than he did, Ron forgot that they didn't grow up surrounded by everything. She was lucky to be alive. A year on sleeping potions? It explained her weird behavior, how she had gotten so jumpy and shaky recently. He wondered if Skazzy had looked up the consequences or just went with immediate release. One of his cousins on his father's side, about the same age as Bill, had been unable to get over his addiction, just going to sleep one day and never waking up.

She would never be able to take a sleeping potion again, dreamless or not.

* * *

Skazzy felt weird. Heavy, like there was some kind of weight on her chest. Was that a cat? She was suppose to take care of a cat. She should follow the cat. Oh, it's cold. How did it get so cold suddenly? A cave, that should be warm. Dog, wait, dog? The same dog. Hi dog. Sleep.

"...had me worried. Phoenix?"

Scraggly hair man. Dementors? "Don't take potions. That's not the solution. You have to face things..." Wrong voice. Potions? Sleep, need potions. "Got that? You aren't allowed to die before you've lived a long and happy life." Happy life? Die, die sound good. Sleep. Cold. White cold. Dog, dog bye. Brother, oops.

"...wake up," a voice said. Skazzy groaned, turned on her side, ignoring the voice.

"Please."

That was Harry. She couldn't say no to Harry. Skazzy swam up from the depths of her unconscious, and open her eyes.

She was definitely not in the hospital wing. This was not in Hogwarts. Where was here? She turned her head. Suddenly her vision was blocked as her brother gripped her tightly in a hug.

"Never again," he whispered in her ear. "You almost died. You can't leave me yet."

"Sorry," Skazzy rasped, weakly holding her brother. "Long have I...?"

"A week. Since you're awake, they can move you back to the Hospital wing at Hogwarts," Harry said, leaning back. Professor Lupin was standing behind him, next to Madam Pomfrey.

"Let's get you signed out of here," Madam Pomfrey said, and she and Professor Lupin left the room. Professor Lupin seemed loathe to go, but followed Madam Pomfrey anyway. Skazzy watched them go, still feeling a little woozy.

"Why?" Harry asked her, eyes shadowed. Skazzy sighed.

"Nightmares," she rasped again, looking at the ceiling.

"About what?"

"No," Skazzy answered, closing her eyes and shaking her head gently. "Not answer. Better."

"You know you can't do it again, right? If you have any more sleeping potions, you may never wake up?" Harry asked, deciding that now wasn't the time to push for an answer.

"Okay. Won't happen, talk later?" Skazzy asked. Harry nodded. After a check up, a stern warning, and a run through of an anti-addiction potion routine, Skazzy was allowed to return to the hospital wing at school. Professor Lupin attempted to help her out of the bed. Skazzy waved him off, not noticing the look of pain on his face as she did so.

* * *

Remus watched as Phoenix leaned against her brother, walking unsteadily towards the fire place. This wasn't suppose to happen. He had failed Lily and James and Harry and Phoenix so much. When she had been born, no one had ever thought she would do this, become this. Why would a well adjusted child need potions?

Lily and James had managed to pick the two worst godparents a child could have. A werewolf and a murdering psychopath. He and Black had failed at their job of protecting the two children. Peter was the only one among them worth being a godparent to one of the children. Peter just should have been the godfather of both of them. He had courage, facing down Black to his death, trying to get him to claim responsibility for the betrayal of Lily and James. What did Remus do?

Seclude himself. Keep himself far away from the world. He had convinced himself that it was best for the two to grow up without a werewolf in their lives, bad enough their parents were dead and betrayed by a mass murderer. He was a liar. He hadn't been thinking about the children, he had been thinking about the friends he lost, not the lives yet to be lived.

And now, the two seemed so independent. He couldn't help but remember the smiling todler chasing his sister crawl, the laughing baby who thought it was the funniest thing when her father turned into a stag with a pop. The baby who laughed as her brother raced around the house on his broom. The baby who used to cuddle up to him and fall asleep in his arms.

It was a drastic change from laughing baby Phoenix to Skazzy. He wished that she would talk to someone (him) about what was bothering her. Because it was obvious there was something, but Remus had heard through the grapevine that not even Professor Sprout could get Phoenix to open.

He just wanted the two Potter children to...need him. Like they used to.

He needed someone.

* * *

In the Hospital Wing, after Professor Lupin left, Amity brought out Skazzy's presents while Harry, Ron and Hermione brought theirs. They had a small Christmas party, since Skazzy was still out of it. It was merely an excuse for everyone to keep an eye on her and try to help Harry. Harry had taken the last week pretty hard, spending all his time either visiting Skazzy or sitting in a chair in the common room brooding. Harry had forced Skazzy to wear her new Weasley sweater, which was emerald green this year. Still had a phoenix on it. Amity had gotten a pink one, which she had already written a thank you for. There were two surprise presents: Harry's Firebolt, and Skazzy's phoenix necklace.

Hary thanked Skazzy for the broom, although chided her about spending money unnecessarily. Skazzy couldn't remember buying a broomstick, but didn't mention it. She was feeling kind of woozy and may have bought it for her brother. And he looked happy. That was good, her addled mind remembered. The necklace on the other hand...

"So Harry didn't get it for you. Me, Ron and Amity didn't give it to you, so who did?" Hermione asked, writing her arithmancy essay durring the delayed Christmas celebration. Skazzy shrugged. Hermione frowned and left. Everyone watched as she left the room.

"Wonder what that's about. Thanks for the toy for Maeve, Nixie. She loves it," Amity said, holding said cat up for Skazzy to see.

Skazzy shrugged again, becoming tired from all the sitting around and excitement. According to Madam Pomfrey, she should be well enough to leave the Hospital wing in another week. She had already missed classes, but Amity brought her notes with her so that Skazzy could catch up during the day when she wasn't doing anything.

Harry, Ron, and Amity looked at each other and nodded. They could tell that Skazzy was barely staying awake, and she hadn't actually said anything to anyone since she left Saint Mungo's earlier that day. Skazzy needed to recover, and she needed no distractions.

The three said their good-byes, and started to leave the Hospital wing. Before they could open the door, Professor McGonagall burst through, followed by Professor Lupin and Hermione. She swept past the three and went over to Skazzy. Professor Lupin followed, while Hermione joined her friends.

"What's going on?" Harry asked Hermione, watching as the professors tried to get Skazzy to talk to them.

"I think Sirius Black sent her the necklace, to get to you. It might be cursed," Hermione said. Amity and Harry nodded, as it was a valid thought. Ron was of a different opinion.

"Why would he waste money on something like that for her? Why not use something cheap?" he asked Hermione. Amity answered.

"Because girls don't want cheap presents?" she responded dryly. Ron flushed, and left the Hospital wing. Hermione followed him, while Harry and Amity paused to look at Skazzy once more. She was pale, looked sick.

"Watch her?" Amity asked, feeling horrible that she hadn't noticed her friend's addiction.

"More carefully than ever," Harry answered, looking at his little stupid sister. Skazzy was always trying to keep up with him, because two was better than one against Dudley. It had lead to some bruises and broken bones, and little white lies to Harry, but this was too far. His sister didn't care enough about her own life if she was willing to do something possibly dangerous to herself. And for what? Nightmares? What could she possibly have nightmares about?

Not for the first time, Harry remembered back to their reunion at King's Cross, and wondered what exactly happened during the year he was at school. There was a slight difference to her, and he couldn't put his finger on it. Something in her had changed, and Harry was sure it was for the worst. He turned away from his sister and gestured for Amity to go before him.

He was a very popular boy when he walked into Gryffindor with a Firebolt.

* * *

The quill rose and began writing. The two Unspeakables watched as it wrote down the differences in Time.

"Think we'll find out if she was suppose to live?" the younger one asked as the older one moved to the book.

"Nope, not this time. All it mentions is a broom. But add another character to the field; Professor Minerva McGonagall. Oh, and add a point to our 'things not making sense' board: why would someone give a person they wanted to kill a broomstick?" the older one asked. The younger one put it down on the now very full board listing contradictions in reports about and actions of one Sirius Black.

"If I were a psychopath, I could give you an answer. As I am not, I have no answer," the younger Unspeakable replied. He was rewarded for his answers with a slap to the back of the head.

"It was a rhetorical question."

The two turned back to that mystery, ignoring the book.

Happened: Phoenix Potter claims she got her brother a Firebolt

Should: Mysterious benefactor (Sirius Black) sends a Firebolt to Harry Potter for Christmas, which then becomes confiscated by Professor Minerva McGonagall to be searched for nonexistant jinxes.

* * *

"I heard you received a necklace from somebody unknown?" Professor McGonagall said to Skazzy. Skazzy blearily opened her eyes and stared. "May I see it?"

Skazzy shrugged, and indicated to where the present lay. Professor McGonagall picked it up and held it in her hands.

"It's beautiful," Professor McGonagall couldn't help but breathe as she held it up to the light. The necklace itself appeared to be two silver chains, connected in the back by a small lobster clasp and in the front by the phoenix itself. The phoenix, however, looked to be gold, with a very bright orange stone accenting it and two small emeralds for eyes. Professor McGonagall had to shake herself out of her stupor after looking at the detail the phoenix had. It looked like it was preparing for flight.

"Now, I know you may be upset, but Ms. Granger brought it to my attention that this may have been sent by Sirius Black, and could have a curse on it. So I, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Lupin here will check it for any curses or jinxes. We'll get it to you as soon as possible," Professor McGonagall said, still admiring the necklace. Skazzy just nodded, closing her eyes. It wasn't like she wore necklaces anyways. "That boy always did have style."

Skazzy quickly fell asleep, and so did not notice that Professor Lupin stayed by her bed until dinner time, and Madam Pomfrey didn't feel the need to tell Skazzy.

* * *

Remus was pacing his room, trying to figure out everything that had happened. First, he was a piss poor godfather who didn't notice his goddaughter's addiction and ignored her most of her life. Second, Phoenix had managed to get outside of the castle, since she was found by Hagrid's hut. Why would she take so many dreamless sleep potions in the woods? How did she get there? Third, why would Black have sent Phoenix such an expensive looking necklace? The fourth thought chilled him to the bone.

What if Black had got her out of the castle, gave her a dreamless sleep potion so she wouldn't resist, and then left her once things started to go wrong? He should probably mention the secret passageways. He really should. Or Black's animagus form.

Unfortunately for Remus, he had honor that Black lacked. And from his cursory sweep of the necklace, the only thing he found on it was a calming charm, protection charms, and a cheering charm. So until he heard otherwise, he wouldn't say anything. He would just watch the passage carefully.

But the moment one of the Potters were hurt, Remus would let loose on Black if he ever saw him.

* * *

Skazzy spent two weeks in the Hospital wing before Madam Pomfrey decided to let her leave. She didn't have the energy to complain when Amity directed her places, just sitting down and doing what she was told. Thinking was hard, she just wanted to sleep. She wasn't allowed in potions class yet, as the adults were nervous about having her near any potions or potions ingredients until she was completely done with the regime.

There had been whispers about what happened. Being in the hospital wing, she didn't hear them. Despite that, any person who put voice to a rumor that she deserved it discovered just how serious the whole situation was by having a detention served with Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital wing, and seeing first hand the effects of the addiction and detoxification process. Professor Sprout had spoken to the entire Hufflepuff house, warning them not to ask Skazzy questions after she was released, and told the house she would not tolerate any teasing. The other second year girls in Hufflepuff found themselves with detention for a month for not alerting anyone about a missing student after they unknowingly admitted they hadn't seen her since the day _before_ she was found. Their defense of 'she's disappeared before' just prompted Professor Sprout to give them a lecture on what she expected from her Hufflepuffs. After that, no one dared say anything.

Heidi and Professor Sprout had a long discussion about the Hufflepuff Potter. Professor Sprout didn't punish her, since Heidi had tried to protect and take care of Skazzy, and at some point Skazzy's actions could only be blamed on herself. Heidi told the other Hufflepuff prefects that the Professor seemed upset that she hadn't noticed anything wrong with one of her students.

Madam Pomfrey had a discussion about what to expect and be wary of with Skazzy's roommates before she left the Hospital wing. When they found out how serious it had been, the girls besides Amity felt a little guilty for not noticing a housemate in trouble, but still thought their punishment was over the top.

To their surprise, Heidi agreed with them. Heidi, along with the other female prefects, told the confused girls that some of the harshness of their punishment was because Professor Sprout felt horrible that she herself hadn't been paying enough attention to all her students. Their professor was human, and taking out her anger at herself on them. Heidi managed to get Professor Sprout to shorten the period they had detention, by pointing out that it wasn't out of a deliberate desire to hurt Skazzy that they hadn't said anything. To them, it was how Skazzy acted normally, and punishing them for that was unfair.

When Skazzy left the Hospital wing, she had stopped having really bad physical symptoms of withdrawal, but Amity often caught her staring at potions vials with a longing look. Maeve decided that Skazzy needed comfort more than her human, and slept next to her, purring whenever Skazzy woke from a nightmare. She just slogged through the days, becoming a little less tired as the month went on. Eventually, she was feeling well enough to follow her brother to one of his lessons with Professor Lupin.

"So you're using a boggart?" she asked, sitting down as she watched Harry practice without the boggart. Professor Lupin nodded.

"Safer than a real Dementor," he said, sitting next to her and encouraging Harry.

"And the spell?" she asked, proping her head on her fist.

"It is called the Patronus Charm," Professor Lupin said.

"How does it work?" asked Skazzy.

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus. The Patronus acts as a kind of anti-Dementor. A guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor," Professor Lupin said, watching the girl from the corner of his eye. Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon; hope, happiness, the desire to survive. However, it cannot feel despair as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"Why?" Skazzy asked, watching her brother out of the corner of her eye.

"Many qualified wizards have problems because you must concentrate on a single, very happy memory while casting," Professor Lupin answered.

 _A happy memory? Was that even something she had?_ Skazzy wondered. Anything at the Dursleys' would be out. Discovering magic? Getting her wand? Surviving the basilisk? _No, surviving the basilisk wouldn't be happy, would it? I'd have been happier to not be in that situation. And discovering magic is tainted by learning we still have to go back to the Dursleys._

But getting her wand was a possibility.

"I'm ready for the boggart," Harry said, breaking her concentration. She watched as Professor Lupin released the boggart. It quickly changed into a Dementor, and her brother started casting. Skazzy felt the cold and shivered. She tried to focus on her brother, but it wasn't working. Her vision went grey before she could see if her brother was successful.

"Little Phoenix, don't cry. Please don't cry. I love you," the voice of her father cooed in her ear. "I love you and Harry..."

Skazzy woke up, seeing both her brother and the professor's concerned looks. She accepted the piece of chocolate the professor gave her.

"'M fine," she mumbled. "Didja get it?"

"No you aren't," Harry said, looking her over. "You're shaking and..."

"It's the same effect the Dementors have always had on me, nothing more. Did you do it?" Skazzy asked, scowling and batting away the professor's hand as he tried to feel for a fever. "I'm not a china doll."

"I got a small something..." Harry reluctantly admitted. "Now I don't hear Mum and Dad."

"You hear dad too?" Skazzy asked in surprise, looking up at her older brother. He nodded, looking a little uncomfortable.

"He...he told Mum to take me and run," Harry said. Skazzy absorbed that information, a pang of jealousy that Harry got to hear both parents. "I'm sure Dad would have told her to take you too..."

"What?" Skazzy asked, brain still muddled from everything that had happened.

"I'm sure Dad would have told her to take you too. Maybe she already had you, or..." Harry started.

"It's fine. I'm not d..." she stopped, but everyone knew what she was about to say. And she knew what their reaction would be. "I'm fine."

Professor Lupin decided to end the lesson there, looking at her in concern. She didn't say anything, walking back to the Hufflepuff dorm with Harry while taking small bites of the chocolate Professor Lupin insisted she have. Maeve was waiting for her and started purring, a relaxing noise that helped Skazzy fall asleep.

As January faded into February, Skazzy became more active. She was also trying to produce a Patronus during the lessons her brother had with Professor Lupin, but was fairing worse than her brother. Skazzy had been unable to find a happy enough memory the first time, and now only occasionally got fog out of her wand. She usually got nothing in front of a Dementor.

"You're expecting too much of yourself, both of you" said Professor Lupin. "For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you? And Skazzy, for a twelve year old to occasionally get something is amazing."

"I thought a Patronus would, charge the Dementors down or something," said Harry dispiritedly, sitting down as Professor Lupin forced the boggart back into the box. "Make them disappear..."

"The true Patronus does do that," said Professor Lupin. "But you've achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. Here, you've both earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before..."

He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase. "Butterbeer!" said Harry, without thinking. "Yeah..."

"Yeah, Ron and Hermione have talked about it. Said it was great," Skazzy said as she nudged her brother. He nodded, remembering that he and Skazzy weren't actually suppose to have been at Hogsmeade.

"I see," said Lupin, though he looked slightly suspicious. "Well, let's drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I'm supposed to take sides, as a teacher..." he added hastily, looking to Skazzy who shrugged.

They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry asked a question Skazzy had never thought of.

"What's under a Dementor's hood?"

Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully.

"Hmmm... well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon."

"What's that?" Skazzy asked, putting the bottle down and rubbing her scar. It was itching.

"They call it the Dementor's Kiss," said Professor Lupin, looking away from Skazzy and at her brother. "It's what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and, and suck out his soul."

Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. "What, they kill by kissing you?"

"Oh no," said Professor Lupin. "Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you'll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no... anything. There's no chance at all of recovery. You'll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever... lost."

Professor Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, "It's the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the _Daily Prophet_ this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him."

Skazzy took the information in, thinking about how just existing might effect someone. Would they have basic instincts? Would they sit and do nothing, or follow orders?

"He deserves it," Harry said suddenly.

"You think so?" said Professor Lupin lightly. "Do you really think anyone deserves that?"

"Yes," said Harry defiantly. "For... for some things..."

"What, do you think that nobody deserves it?" Skazzy asked, looking at the professor.

"Well, it's something that can't be undone, and it is considered inhumane..." Professor Lupin started. Skazzy snorted.

"Sounds fine to me. Some people don't deserve humane treatment. If they've done something awful, they deserve it. Are Dementor's only found at Azkaban?" Skazzy said, the beginnings of a plan forming in her head. After a brief period of nothing, Skazzy looked up to see Professor Lupin staring at her in horror, and her brother at Professor Lupin in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing, I just, I didn't expect to hear someone so young, ah, decide it was acceptable. And yes, the ministry has a treaty that keeps them there..." Professor Lupin said.

"Oh well," Skazzy shrugged. She'd have to go back to her original plan of revenge: do-it-herself.

"Why did you want to..." Professor Lupin started to ask when Harry decided it was time for them to leave. He thanked Professor Lupin and dragged Skazzy out. He found a secluded place and turned towards Skazzy.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just thinking how it might make life better at the Dursley's if Uncle dearest were to kiss one," Skazzy said, shrugging.

"Not that, although wouldn't Aunt Petunia just make our lives worse?" Harry asked.

"Not if she got kissed too. Hmm, you know, they'd be alive, so what ever reason forces us back to them would still be in effect, right?" Skazzy said, wondering if she'd be able to get a Dementor to kiss their relatives. A voice that sounded like Amity told her that this was not right, but she ignored it. Uncle Vernon deserved worse, and if this was all she could do to him until she was of age, well, she didn't care.

Harry looked as if he wanted to say something, but closed his mouth and shook his head.

"Nightmares?" he asked, referring to her explanation for taking dreamless sleep potions.

"Yeah," Skazzy said.

Harry thought for a moment. Did he really want that for his relatives? Granted they hadn't been nice but at least they hadn't betrayed their parents... No. Something happened his first year of Hogwarts. Skazzy still hadn't told him what, and he still wasn't pushing, but he knew she probably had good reason to wish such a life on their aunt and uncle.

"I meant with Professor Lupin," Harry said, deciding to table the thoughts about their relatives. There was some part of him that sounded like Hermione saying that what he was thinking was wrong, but he would deal with that later. "The way he was looking at you, as if you had done something awful."

"I dunno, he's always been weird around me. He probably thinks everyone deserves another chance or something," Skazzy said. She was unconcerned with how the professor saw her. After all, chances were he wasn't going to be there again next year. She wasn't paying attention and accidentally walked into her brother's head of house.

"Do watch where you're going, Miss Potter!"

"Sorry, Professor."

"I've just been looking for you. We've done everything we could think of, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. In fact, there are several protection charms on there. You've got a very good friend somewhere, Miss Potter..."

Skazzy looked at her, confused for a moment. What was possibly wrong with what? And who could have cast protection charms on her stuff. She wasn't missing anything. She noticed that Professor McGonagall was holding a necklace out to her. She stared at it in confusion until she remembered Christmas, the broom she now knew she definitely hadn't ordered, and the strange necklace.

"Err..thanks?" Skazzy said, taking the necklace back. Professor McGonagall was watching her expectantly, so she turned to Harry and asked him to help her put it on. The moment she felt it settle around her neck, she felt...happy and calm. And her instinct told her to yank it off, something was _wrong._

"You should wear it, someone paid a lot to make sure you were protected," Professor McGonagall said before she could act. Her brother was nodding, and Professor McGonagall walked away. As soon as she turned the corner, Skazzy went to take the necklace off.

"Didn't Professor McGonagall just say..." Harry said, stopping her.

"It feels weird. It's making me happy," she said, her voice sounding calm despite the fact that her mind knew something was wrong. Harry frowned.

"They checked it for everything bad. Please wear it? It would make me feel better knowing you were protected," Harry said. Skazzy wanted to scowl, but her body smiled instead. Stupid necklace. Stupid brother who knew her too well and was playing the guilt trip card.

She didn't take the necklace off while Harry walked her back to her dorm. She wouldn't take it off. Yet. But she was going to get it to _stop_ affecting her like this. She didn't know how yet, since either Amity or Harry were with her at all times, but she would. Eventually they'd stop watching her every minute of the day and let her go off on her own.

Right?


	12. Unraveling

Disclaimer: Do not own. :(

* * *

Severus Snape was sitting in front of his fireplace, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. He thought of his beautiful Lily, and her almost clone. The almost clone that almost died. The almost clone he routinely ignored. The almost clone who, Severus had to admit to himself, was excellent at potions. She made a potion above her year, successfully.

He and Lupin had gotten into a fight when Lupin accused Severus of not being vigilant enough about missing ingredients last year, especially since the ingredients in question could be misused. They traded insults and insinuated it was the other's fault that Lily Potter's daughter had taken potions. Dumbledore had stopped them, reprimanding both of them. Severus couldn't look Dumbledore in the eye for weeks.

He prided himself on being observant. He had been a spy, it was his life if he wasn't observant. Usually he caught people beginning to abuse potions before it got too far. Especially if they started while at school. But the complexity of the potion meant he generally didn't assume first year students were making it. So he focused on the older years, and when he couldn't find someone who appeared to be making the dreamless sleep potion, he assumed that he had miscalculated the amount of each ingredient he had, or that he had made more dreamless sleep potion for Madam Pomfrey than he thought.

He never looked at a small redheaded girl with green eyes. He avoided the girl with the scar blemishing her face. He took note that her potions brewing ability was better than many of her year mates, but that was the extent. He had pretended she didn't exist, and Lily would be very angry that his lack of observational skills had lead to the close call. No, not lack. Intentional. Intentionally ignoring Phoenix Potter.

He was trying to protect Lily's legacy, and he almost let it die. He ignored the signs because he didn't want to see a mirror image of Lily, didn't want to be reminded of his greatest mistake. He ignored the shaking, the other signs. He ignored how she stopped preparing ingredients and began adding them and stirring the cauldron instead. He foolishly tricked himself into believing that her little friend had decided she wanted to learn how to prepare potions. He told himself that everyone else was watching her so he didn't need to. Pomona defended her students with tenacity, looked after them. Hufflepuffs weren't like Slytherins who hid the signs, Ravenclaws who would do anything to learn, or Gryffindors who didn't think about anyone besides themselves. Hufflepuffs watched each other. Pomona watched them. Severus didn't need to watch a Hufflepuff Potter. She was supposed to be taken care of.

In the back of his mind, a small voice whispered that he was glad Lily was not alive to see him like this. Even if it hadn't been her child, she would have been disappointed in him. He was neglecting those in his care, like his father.

He would do better, as soon as Phoenix Potter was deemed fit to return to potions class.

He had to, for Lily.

* * *

The next morning as Skazzy and Amity sat at the Gryffindor table, Amity noticed Hermione was sitting with Ginny and Neville down the table from Harry and Ron.

"What's going on?" she asked. Ron scowled.

"Her cat ate Scabbers," he said. Amity looked at him.

"You know cats eat rats, right?" Amity said, folding her arms.

"She could have controlled him better," Ron retorted. Amity shook her head, and went to sit with Hermione and Ginny. "She didn't even try to control that monster! Scabbers had a bloody death, and she still defends that monster."

It looked like the end of Ron and Hermione's friendship. Each was so angry with the other that Harry had told Skazzy he couldn't see how they'd ever make up.

Ron was enraged that Hermione had never taken Crookshanks's attempts to eat Scabbers seriously, hadn't bothered to keep a close enough watch on him, and was still trying to pretend that Crookshanks was innocent by suggesting that Ron look for Scabbers under all the boys' beds. Hermione, meanwhile, maintained fiercely that Ron had no proof that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, that the ginger hairs might have been there since Christmas, and that Ron had been prejudiced against her cat ever since Crookshanks had landed on Ron's head in the Magical Menagerie.

Personally, Skazzy figured that Crookshanks had eaten Scabbers, but didn't say anything to Hermione. Hermione had apparently snapped when Amity had tried to say that Ron was being ridiculous about the natural cycle of cats and rats, and accused Amity of siding with Ron and blaming her for things unfairly. This left Skazzy with a crying Amity, something she had no idea what to do with. Ginny, looking exasperated after a whole class went by and Amity had just sniffed her way through it, decided to try and take Amity's mind off what Hermione said.

"I don't get girls," Skazzy said to Ron and Harry as she watched Ginny talk to Amity.

Harry wasn't paying attention, trying to cheer Ron up.

"Come on, Ron, you were always saying how boring Scabbers was," said Harry. "And he's been off-color for ages, he was wasting away. It was probably better for him to... All he did was eat and sleep, Ron, you said it yourself,"

"He bit Goyle for us once!" Ron said miserably. "Remember, Harry?"

"Yeah, that's true," Harry allowed. "But Ron, you remember what the lady at Magical Menagerie said?"

"Rats don't live long," Skazzy answered. Ron just continued brooding.

In a last-ditch attempt to cheer Ron up, Harry persuaded him to come along to the Gryffindor team's final practice before the Ravenclaw match, so that he could have ride on Harry's Firebolt after they'd finished. This did seem to take Ron's mind off Scabbers for a moment ("Great! Can I try and shoot a few goals on it?") so they set off for the quidditch field together.

Skazzy remained quiet, looking around. Amity was still with Ginny, and Harry had apparently not noticed Amity wasn't with Skazzy. She slipped out of the hall and headed to the library. She felt, _weird_ , and had ever since she put the necklace on. Happy and calm, even though she _knew_ she shouldn't feel that way. It _bothered_ her. She didn't like to know that magic could effect her like this. She wanted it to _stop_. She would _make_ it stop.

She didn't notice Heidi watch her leave, and she didn't notice that the prefect decided to do her homework in the library instead of the dorm. Skazzy was too busy trying to find out what could be doing this to her.

Skazzy did notice when she was kicked out of the library. She knew that she would have scowled at this, if it weren't for the necklace. Skazzy continued stared at the offending piece of jewelry. She wanted to not like who ever sent it. She wanted to not feel calm.

She didn't want to admit that it was helping her with her cravings. She may have been done with the potion regime, but the urge was still there, to forget, to ignore. Last night she had the first pleasant dream she could remember, and hadn't even twitched when she noticed one of the ingredients for the potion in Amity's bag.

Skazzy wanted control. She couldn't control her sleep anymore, but there was no reason she shouldn't be able to control her own feelings. She was so occupied with her thoughts, that she tripped over something and her bag went sprawling. She looked over at what had tripped her.

Crookshanks was glaring at her, mouth full of paper. Skazzy went to the cat to figure out what it had.

"Still hungry? Decided to eat someone's homework? Isn't that the dog's job?" she asked, successfully wresting the paper out of the cat's mouth. She frowned as she looked at it. "This is a bunch of nonsense. Oww."

Skazzy winced as Crookshanks scratched her leg, meowing what must have been a demand for the paper back. Skazzy shook her head.

"Nope. Not after you did that," Skazzy tucked the piece of paper into her bag, and continued to her common room. She was tempted to take the necklace off, but it stopped the dreams last night, and it only bothered her when she was awake. And since she couldn't take sleep related potions...

She would figure out what the spell was, cast it on something she only had to wear at night, and take it off the necklace that Harry had guilted her into wearing. That solved all her problems.

 _Except the ones she was hiding from._ This time, the voice in her head sounded like a man. His voice was familiar and yet she couldn't place her finger on it. Whose voice would it be, and why did it sound sort of like advice she had been given? Nobody had ever given her advice like that.

Ever.

* * *

Sirius watched Harry practice on his broom. He was happy to see his godson smile, how ever brief. For most of January he had been worried and stressed. Sirius was glad that the gift of a broom was able to give Harry a little joy, although what he really wanted to know was how Phoenix was.

Harry had been gradually getting better as he traveled back and forth to his Care of Magical Creatures class. Sirius took that as a good sign, that Harry being happier meant that Phoenix was getting better. He just wished he could see her, but going into Hogwarts was dangerous, and Herbology was held inside the castle since the weather was cold.

He hoped she liked the necklace. He knew, ever since the quidditch game, what he was going to buy Harry for Christmas to make up for his failure, but coming up with an idea for Phoenix had been harder. She didn't play quidditch, and all the ideas he came up with were just, not right. Give her brother a broom and her a book? He knew he would have hated it if Regulus had gotten a top of the line broom and all he got for the holidays was a book.

Phoenix needed something special. She needed to be protected. As soon as he thought that, he knew what she needed. He sent a letter off to his mother's favorite jewelry maker, hoping he hadn't died. His mother had been paranoid, and had the jewelry maker put all kinds of enchantments on her commissioned pieces. Sirius wasn't disappointed.

The jeweler sent him back a beautiful necklace with all the protection spells he could get for what a Firebolt cost. He himself added a calming charm and a cheering charm, hoping to alleviate a bit of Phoenix's suffering. He hadn't sent the necklace to Phoenix yet when he found her in his cave, so he was able to add the spells.

Sirius watched as Harry and his friend walked back to the school. Harry seemed to glance at him, and do a double take. When he went to talk to his friend, Sirius moved back into the woods. He didn't need Remus to hear about a black dog hanging around the castle.

It was apparent that Phoenix wasn't one to go to adults with her problems, but maybe Harry was more trusting. And there was no reason to make Pettigrew anymore nervous than he was. One screw up getting him was all he was allowing himself. Pettigrew was too close to the Potters. He was waiting for the cat to come visit him.

Now he just had to figure out how Phoenix was. He really hoped she was okay.

* * *

Skazzy was walking down when she ran into her brother and Ron coming back. Harry looked a little spooked, but that didn't distract him from checking for Amity. He frowned, then told Ron he'd catch up with him later. Ron nodded and left. Harry turned to Skazzy.

"Where's Amity?" he asked. Skazzy sighed.

"She was talking with Ginny last I saw her," she answered, fiddling with the strap of her book bag. Harry frowned.

"When was that?" he asked.

"Right before I went to the library," Skazzy said. Harry raised an eyebrow at her lack of time frame.

"Right after you left with Ron," Skazzy said, sighing. Harry held his hand out for her bag, and she handed it over. "I really did go to the library. Madam Pince kicked me out. I was there after dinner until now."

Harry was looking through her bag just to make sure she didn't have anything she wasn't supposed to. Both Potters were surprised when they heard someone clearing their throat.

"I can vouch that Skazzy was at the library and didn't take anything," Heidi said, looking at Harry. Harry nodded but didn't stop looking through the bag. He began walking back to the Hufflepuff dorm with the two Hufflepuffs.

"Why were you in the library?" he asked his sister as he checked what books were in there.

"I told you yesterday, this is making me happy. I want it to stop. I don't like it," Skazzy said, fingering the necklace. Heidi frowned, and stopped them by looking at the necklace.

"This is pretty. Where'd you get it?" Heidi said, looking it over.

"Dunno. Someone sent it to me for Christmas. The professors looked it over for curses and such, apparently its got protections on it," Skazzy answered. Harry frowned and pulled something out of her bag.

"Why do you have the list of passwords for Gryffindor this week?" he asked, holding the paper.

"I ran into Hermione's cat. He had it in his mouth," Skazzy said, indicating the teeth marks on the paper. Harry frowned.

"Strange."

"There's a cheering charm on this, as well as a calming charm. Those are the only charms I can recognize," Heidi said. Both Potters stared at her. "I know a couple curse breaking diagnosis charms. My dad used to be a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts. He taught me a couple simple spells."

"Can you take them off?" Skazzy asked immediately. Heidi frowned.

"Why?"

"It's messing with me. I don't like it," Skazzy said, trying to explain. "I know how I _should_ be feeling, but this is making me not feel that way. It's, it's, not okay. I don't want anything to be able to control me."

Heidi looked at the necklace and cast a spell at it. "Lucky for you, these charms were added after all the protective spells, otherwise you'd need a professional to dissect it."

"Thanks," Skazzy said as Heidi cast a spell to dispel the two offending charms. Heidi glanced at Harry and did a double take.

"Damn. I thought it was just a rumor that you had a Firebolt. Glad we already faced you," Heidi said, eyeing Harry's broom enviously. "Good luck tomorrow, but hope you don't take offense if I hope you don't beat Ravenclaw."

"Fair," Harry said, smiling a little at her.

"Ced fells real bad about how we won. He told us that he won't consider us as winners unless we can win not counting that match, but that's Ced for you," Heidi said. Skazzy frowned.

"Who?" Skazzy asked. Heidi rolled her eyes.

"Cedric Diggory? Captain of our quidditch team? Fifth year boy prefect?" Heidi asked. Skazzy shrugged. "You do realize I'm on the quidditch team, right?"

"You are?" Skazzy asked, frowning. "I don't think I've ever really paid attention."

Heidi shook her head, exasperated with the younger Potter. "Of course not. I can walk her back to the dorm, you probably need your sleep," she told Harry. Harry nodded and turned away from them and began walking to his dorm. Heidi and Skazzy walked back in silence.

"You might want to eat at Gryffindor tomorrow for breakfast. Harry's broom will cause an uproar," Heidi said as they separated to go to their dorms. Skazzy nodded, and went into her dorm. She looked at Amity's bed, but the curtains were drawn. She was probably asleep.

Skazzy lay in her bed, before realizing she had made a mistake. She hadn't asked how to cast the cheering charm herself. Hopefully the nightmare wouldn't be bad.

* * *

Amity had retired to her dorm after Ginny attempted to cheer her up. She looked up to Hermione, so having her yell at her was upsetting. Amity had played with Maeve to try and take her mind off Hermione. Ginny had explained that she had been snapping at everyone, and she confessed that she thought Hermione was overworked. Amity had to agree, she had a hard enough time with a minimum number of classes.

"Maeve, why did I make friends with Nixie? Life would be easier, I probably wouldn't have gotten involved with Hermione, Ron or Harry," she sighed. Maeve didn't answer, but attempted to pounce on her fingers. "I'm worried about her. I can't believe I didn't notice her potions problem. She's just, not like anyone else. She doesn't trust teachers or adults, tends to keep her problems to herself. I just, I want to know what happened to her. Why doesn't she trust people? When will she trust me?"

Maeve just meowed. Amity smiled, and began her homework for Professor Lupin. She was a little jealous that Nixie and Harry were getting lessons from him to defeat Dementors. Granted, their reactions were more extreme, but she kept remembering her time in the Chamber. She knew Ginny was the same. Professor Lupin was one of her favorite professors, and Nixie didn't really care. In fact, she was a bit more suspicious of him than other professors. Granted, Professor Lupin was new. Nixie's distrust of the professor wasn't enough for her to say no to something that would protect her brother. Amity always asked about those sessions, wanting to learn as much as she could.

' _Wonder why he keeps getting sick?_ ' she thought as she finished the essay and began her astronomy homework. ' _Nixie mentioned something about Professor Snape giving him a specialized potion for his condition. She wanted to know why Pepper-Up didn't work for everything'_

She noted that it was a new moon the next day. She enjoyed looking at the sky when the moon was absent. It was also cool to watch the moon turn into an orb...

Orb. Nixie had said that they used a boggart for a Dementor, Harry's fear. And that if it got too close to the professor, it became a sphere. An orb. She had been saying that she was glad she didn't ever find out what her fear was.

Sphere. Orb. Moon. Full moon. Amity went through her old essays, and pulled out the one that Professor Lupin had said they didn't need to hand in, the one Professor Snape assigned. The one on werewolves. She read it over, and frowned. Professor Lupin fit the description of a werewolf. It made more sense he'd be afraid of the moon than divination, especially since he seemed rational.

Did Professor Snape want all werewolves dead? Nixie's words about it being weird that they were suppose to write an essay on how to kill instead of defend echoed in her head. He seemed to hate Professor Lupin, and he had assigned the same essay to every year.

She needed to write a letter to her mother.

Tomorrow.

* * *

In the Room, the two Unspeakables were staring at their board.

"So, Sirius Black," said the younger one.

"Decides to break out this year, but not to kill the Potters," the older one continued.

"Why else would he break out?" the younger one asked. "Did you read his trial transcripts?"

"I thought you read them," the older one said, beginning to shift through all the papers they had been given about Black.

They searched the entire room, but no trial transcripts were there. The older Unspeakable frowned.

"They were suppose to give us all the information the ministry had on him."

"Strange," the younger one agreed. "We should ask for it again."

They noticed that the quill was moving, and they turned to look at the book.

Happened:

Phoenix Potter keeps Crookshanks from giving list of Gryffindor passwords to Sirius Black.

Amity Fear decides to ask her mother about werewolves.

Should:

Crookshanks give list of Gryffindor passwords to Sirius Black.

Amity Fear does not think about werewolves.

"Odd. Do we know a Crookshanks?" the younger Unspeakable asked.

"Weird name. Maybe it belongs to a pet? I wonder what the importance of Amity learning about werewolves is," the older one said.

"I wish the quill wrote more," the younger one grumbled.

* * *

Skazzy woke up the next morning exhausted and early. It had been really bad last night. She was unable to control herself at all in the dream, someone else had been controlling her. She shuddered. She never wanted to be out of control again. She went into the common room and stared at the fire. Her fingers itched to make the potion. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ignore the urge. She stared at the fire.

She must have fallen asleep staring at the fire because Amity was shaking her awake a few minutes later.

"Come on, quidditch today!" Amity said, cheerfully. "I have a letter to deliver to my mom. Do you think Hedwig would take it?"

"Probably, it's not like she's doing anything," Skazzy said, getting up. "Did I know Heidi was on the quidditch team?"

Amity shook her head. "Can you name anyone from our house in our year that isn't one of us?"

Skazzy thought hard. "Bax?" she guessed, vaguely remembering hearing that name before.

"Ravenclaw. I'm impressed though, that you actually know someone's name," Amity said. "How do you know him?"

"Uh, didn't someone say his uncle tortured muggles? I meant to investigate his family," Skazzy said, remembering the discussion on Dementors from the beginning of the year. Amity dropped her head.

"Of course that's what you'd remember," Amity sighed. "You should learn the names of at least our dormmates."

"I still have five more years," Skazzy defended herself, going to the Gryffindor table. She sat next to her brother, and watched as everyone came over to look at his broom. Amity followed.

"You've lived with them for a year and a half," Amity complained. "Most people would have learned their names."

Ginny sat next to Amity, staring at the broom. "She's Skazzy. I can't believe that's a Firebolt."

"True," Amity agreed. "Where's Hermione?"

Ginny shrugged, still staring at the broom. "She was up doing homework. Why?"

"I had a question for her," Amity said.

"Are you sure you want to ask her anything?" Skazzy asked, remembering yesterday.

"Yeah," Amity answered. Skazzy shrugged.

"Good luck, she snapped at Percy yesterday," Ginny told Amity.

Skazzy noticed Malfoy coming over to the table. She glared at him during his confrontation with Harry.

"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" asked Malfoy.

"Yeah, reckon so," said Harry casually.

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it?" said Malfoy, eyes glittering maliciously. "Shame it doesn't come with a parachute. In case you get too near a Dementor."

Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"Pity you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," said Harry. "Then it could catch the Snitch for you."

The Gryffindor table laughed loudly. Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed, and he stalked away. They watched him rejoin the rest of the Slytherin team, who put their heads together, no doubt asking Malfoy whether Harry's broom really was a Firebolt.

At a quarter to eleven, the Gryffindor team set off for the locker rooms. Skazzy watched them go.

"Oh, I see Hermione!" Amity said, getting up from the table and following the girl out of the Great Hall.

"Why's she want to talk to her?" Ron asked. Skazzy shrugged.

"Some people can let grudges go," Ginny said to the air. Ron scowled. They both started towards the pitch, arguing. Skazzy let them go ahead of her. She waited for Amity. Soon Amity came back.

"What was that about?" Skazzy asked. Amity opened her mouth to say something, then frowned. "What?"

Skazzy looked around but couldn't find anything that would confuse Amity.

"Hermione. She said she was going back to the Gryffindor tower," Amity said, pointing towards the bushy haired witch walking ahead of them.

"She changed her mind?" Skazzy suggested, shrugging.

"But, she..." Amity trailed off, looking from where Hermione was to where she had just come from. "Never mind."

The two joined Ron and Ginny in the Gryffindor section of the pitch. They watched the Gryffindor team walk out onto the field, to Gryffindor applause. The Ravenclaw team, dressed in blue, were already standing in the middle of the field. The only girl on the Ravenclaw team gave Harry a little wave.

Madam Hooch appeared to say something, and Wood shook hands with the Ravenclaw Captain. Then Madam Hooch blew her whistle. Skazzy watched her brother fly around the stadium as the commentator ignored the game.

"They're off, and the big excitement this match is the Firebolt that Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to _Which Broomstick_ , the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's World Championship..."

"Jordan, would you mind telling us what's going on in the match?" interrupted Professor McGonagall's voice. Ginny and Ron laughed. Skazzy glanced at Amity, but Amity seemed to be in her own little world.

"Right you are, Professor, just giving a bit of background information. The Firebolt, incidentally, has a built-in auto-brake and..."

"Jordan!"

"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession, Katie Bell of Gryffindor, heading for goal..."

Ron was scowling, pointing to the Ravenclaw girl. "She's not even trying."

Skazzy nodded. The girl was just following her brother, and occasionally getting in his way. Suddenly as one of the Gryffindor chasers scored the first goal, Harry started a dive.

"Did he see the snitch? Can you see it?" Ron asked, looking down.

"There," Ginny pointed at a spot near them. She and Ron were on their toes watching Harry dive.

"He was already great at dives, but that's amazing," Ron said, before groaning along with the rest of Gryffindor as Harry was forced to dodge a bludger. The Ravenclaws, and a few Hufflepuffs clapped for the Ravenclaw Beater. One of the Weasley twins vented his feelings by hitting the second bludger directly at the offending Beater, who was forced to roll right over in midair to avoid it.

"Good for George," Ginny said, smiling.

"Gryffindor leads by eighty points to zero, and look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now, see it turn. Chang's Comet is just no match for it, the Firebolt's precision, balance is really noticeable in these long..."

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY!"

Harry was rushing towards the Gryffindor goal posts when the girl Seeker cut him off. Ron and Ginny groaned again. Wood also appeared upset, yelling loud enough for everyone to hear him.

"HARRY, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A GENTLEMAN!" Wood roared as Harry swerved to avoid a collision. "KNOCK HER OFF HER BROOM IF YOU HAVE TO!"

Harry flew above everyone before diving again.

"Did he find it again?" Ron asked.

"I think he's feinting," Ginny said.

"How would you know?" Ron asked her. Skazzy ignored the two as they argued. She looked at Amity again.

"You okay?" Skazzy asked. Amity shook herself out of her stupor and smiled at her.

"Yeah, just. Lot's of questions on my mind," she answered. "What's going on?"

Skazzy was about to explain when Harry started hurtling towards the Ravenclaw goalposts as the girl Seeker struggled to pull out of her dive.

"Now he's seen it," Ginny said smugly. Ron just scowled at her. "What's she pointing at?"

Skazzy, Ron, and Amity leaned to see what was going on along with the other Gryffindors.

"Are those Dementors?"

Harry aimed his wand at them without even stopping. Something silver-white, something enormous, erupted from the end of his wand. It shot directly towards the Dementors. He stretched out the hand still grasping his wand and appeared to catch the snitch.

Madam Hooch's whistle sounded, and Harry was mobbed by the Gryffindor quidditch team. The entire Gryffindor section was screaming their lungs out. With Ron in the lead, the Gryffindors streamed onto the pitch. Ginny and Skazzy were close behind Ron. Amity stayed back, watching Hermione.

"Yes!" Ron yelled, yanking Harry's arm into the air. "Yes! Yes!"

"Well _done_ , Harry!" said Percy, looking delighted. "Ten Galleons to me! Must find Penelope, excuse me..."

"Good for you, Harry!" roared his Irish dormmate.

"Ruddy brilliant!" boomed Hagrid over the heads of the milling Gryffindors.

"That was quite some Patronus," said Professor Lupin, surprising Harry. Skazzy watched him.

"The Dementors didn't affect me at all!" Harry said excitedly. "I didn't feel a thing!"

"That would be because they, er, weren't Dementors," said Professor Lupin. "Come and see..."

Ron, Ginny, and Skazzy followed. They hadn't been paying attention to anything except Harry. Professor Lupin led them out of the crowd until they were able to see the edge of the field.

"You gave Mr. Malfoy quite a fright," said Professor Lupin.

Harry stared, Skazzy started laughing. Lying in a crumpled heap on the ground were Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and the Slytherin team Captain, all struggling to remove themselves from long, black, hooded robes. It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders. Standing over them, with an expression of the utmost fury on her face, was Professor McGonagall.

"An unworthy trick!" she was shouting. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!"

If anything could have set the seal on Gryffindor's victory, it was this. Ron was doubled up with laughter as they watched Malfoy fighting to extricate himself from the robe, Goyle's head still stuck inside it.

"Come on, Harry!" said George, fighting his way over. "Party! Gryffindor common room, now!"

"Right," said Harry. Skazzy watched as he and the other members of the team started to head back to the castle. She looked around for Amity, but couldn't find her. She shrugged and wandered back to the castle herself. She noticed the dog, and briefly remembered seeing the dog while she was out of it on dreamless sleep potions. She headed towards the dog at the edge of the Forest, after checking to make sure no one was watching. She slipped into the Forest, hiding from sight while the dog followed her.

"Ok dog. I suppose I should thank you. I seem to recall you being near me at some point before Christmas. Harry mentioned something about hearing a dog scratch at Hagrid's and then finding me. But then again, I was on potions, and seem to remember hearing some dude talking. So who knows how true that was," Skazzy said to herself, although she noticed the dog wince. She stared at the dog.

"So there was a guy," Skazzy clarified. The dog knocked her over and started licking her. "No, you are not getting away with a distraction." She forced the dog off her. The dog tried to give her puppy dog eyes but Skazzy shook her head.

"You are not a cute puppy, and I want answers. And there's definitely something weird about you," Skazzy said, glaring at the dog. She heard a meow, and noticed Crookshanks behind the dog.

"Of course the cat's your friend. Good thing you've never been near Ron's rat. It'd probably have a heart attack being attacked by a cat and a dog."

The dog barked at this while Crookshanks hissed. "Ron's rat?" Skazzy asked again, looking at the two animals. The cat hissed again. "Alright, Crookshanks, you are definitely a kneazle. Isn't it enough that you ate it?"

The dog shook his head. Skazzy stared at the dog. "Crookshanks didn't eat the rat?" The dog barked again, tongue out and panting.

"Dog, I want answers," Skazzy said, glaring at the dog. Unfortunately, she heard Amity calling her name. "Don't think you're off the hook. I seem to keep finding you, or you find me, so next time I'll want answers."

Skazzy left the Forest and caught up with Amity. Amity stared at her.

"Any particular reason you were in the forest?" Amity asked.

"Thought I saw Crookshanks," Skazzy lied. "Thought that I might grab him so that Hermione wouldn't be upset that her cat got kissed."

"Dementors don't effect animals the same," Amity said absently.

"Why not?" Skazzy asked.

"Don't know. That's what Mum said. I asked her about Dementors earlier this year," Amity said.

"Why would she know that?" Skazzy asked.

"She visits my uncle. She said that the rats don't seem to notice the Dementors," Amity replied, then winced.

"Is your uncle in Azkaban?" Skazzy asked. Amity sighed.

"Yeah, he was a Death Eater. Got disowned from the family after he was placed in Azkaban. Mum says he was in it for the power," Amity said. "The rest of my family doesn't care about status. Mum married my Dad, who's a muggle."

Skazzy soaked that knowledge in, and then shrugged. "Eh, we can't choose our relatives. There's bound to be a bad one occasionally."

Skazzy missed Amity's smile at her acceptance of her secret.

"Yeah, can't choose relatives," Amity repeated.

* * *

"Another deviation? There's been a lot recently," the young Unspeakable in the Room Outside of Time said as the quill finished writing for the second time in a twenty-four hour period.

"We still have time," the older Unspeakable said. "What is it?"

"Turns out Hermione Granger has a Time-Turner," the younger one said, checking the book.

"What?" the older Unspeakable said, looking at the book. "How did she get it?"

"I don't know. It's just the only explanation of how she can be in two places at once," the younger one said, pointing to the book.

Happened:

Amity Fear becomes suspicious after seeing Hermione Granger leave for the Gryffindor tower and then Hermione Granger walk to the quidditch pitch a minute later.

Should:

Amity Fear remains oblivious.

"That's a little disturbing, but I guess there isn't anything we can do about that," the older Unspeakable said. "Seems Hermione Granger was destined to have one. Who would give a student one of those?"

* * *

Sirius watched as Phoenix walked back to the castle with her friend.

That was a bit too close. Phoenix may not trust adults, but she was observant. He'd been lucky the last few times she'd been around him, but after this she'd be watching. He shouldn't have done anything when she mentioned Pettigrew. He wanted to keep her safe, but thinking Pettigrew was dead was possibly dangerous for the two Potters. They wouldn't be on the look out like they needed to be.

Sirius forgot that technically the two Potters weren't actually concerned about Peter Pettigrew, since he was assumed dead.

Sirius changed back into a human and looked at the cat, Crookshanks apparently. "Do you think she'd believe me?"

Crookshanks shook his head. Sirius sighed. "It would be easier if I had proof Pettigrew was alive. Hopefully she won't tell anyone about me. I think I'll have to stay farther away."

* * *

Time frowned as she lost a foot. She wanted those in her Room to hurry it up. Too many changes in a row was bad for her.

They were taking far too long to figure everything out, and she had no idea what was going on in that Room.


	13. Reality Check

Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, or a Time-Turner. Or a time machine.

* * *

Skazzy didn't get a chance to go back to the forest to find the dog again. She watched Crookshanks instead, wondering if she should tell Ron his rat might be alive. Of course, then she'd have to explain why she knew, and Harry would freak out again about the dog. He was convinced it was a grim. Skazzy was convinced that Divination was not a class she should take.

And then there was all the evidence that pointed to Scabbers being dead. Apparently there had been blood on Ron's sheet, and ginger hairs, and Crookshanks was a cat. If the rat was alive, wouldn't the rat think that staying with Ron would be better than being left unprotected? Or had the cat scared the rat away? Wouldn't the rat come back for food? It just didn't make any sense.

Why would a dog say that the rat wasn't dead, and why would the cat agree? And where was the rat?

There were too many animals acting weird around here.

Skazzy was allowed to return to potions class, although she was only allowed to put ingredients in the cauldron and stir. Professor Snape had changed, and now spent all class watching Skazzy. On the bright side, this prevented him from taking points from other Hufflepuffs. He wasn't paying attention to them.

"Seriously, what the hell is his problem? First he ignores me, now he won't stop watching me. He needs to stop changing his mind," Skazzy complained to Amity. Amity gave a non-comital sound. Amity had been exchanging letters with her mother an awful lot since Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw. It seemed like every other day she received a letter. She was often distracted, making Skazzy the one to drag her to classes. She insisted she was fine, but Skazzy and Ginny agreed that she was acting weird.

Harry had received a letter this morning along with Amity. Hedwig got his attention by nipping Skazzy sharply on the wrist.

"Ouch! Harry, I think you've got something," Skazzy said, rubbing her wrist as she handed the letter to Harry.

Harry tore open the envelope while Hedwig helped herself to some of Skazzy's breakfast. The note inside said:

 _Dear Harry and Ron,_

 _How about having tea with me this afternoon 'round six? I'll come collect you from the castle. WAIT FOR ME IN THE ENTRANCE HALL; YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED OUT ON YOUR OWN._

 _Cheers, Hagrid_

"I'm coming too," Skazzy said, reading the note over Harry's shoulder after glaring at Hedwig. Harry shrugged.

"Doesn't say anything about not inviting you," Harry said.

"Hey, Amity?" Skazzy said, as Amity stared at her letter.

"What? Oh, uh, I'm busy," Amity said distractedly. She got up and wandered away. Ginny got up to follow her after sending Skazzy a confused glance.

"Amity okay?" Harry asked as they watched her leave.

"I'm not sure. She keeps writing her mother, or her mother keeps writing her," Skazzy frowned. "Ginny'll figure it out. She's better at that stuff than I am."

"Hedwig is better at that than you," Ron sniped, petting the owl. Hedwig hooted in what Skazzy could only think was agreement. She spent the rest of the meal having a staring contest with the owl.

The three of them were waiting for Hagrid. When he got there, he seemed surprised to see Skazzy.

"You feeling up to this?" he asked her. "Potions...

"I'm fine. They let me back in Potions class, and I've been done with the regime for awhile. There is nothing left that can be cured with anything but time," Skazzy said, dismissing his concern and trying to keep her irritation at bay. Hagrid hadn't seen her, and had been one of the people to find her so she shouldn't be mad he was worried. She was just angry at constantly being watched when before she could generally slip beneath the professors' notice.

The first thing they saw on entering Hagrid's cabin was Buckbeak, who was stretched out on top of Hagrid's patchwork quilt, his enormous wings folded tight to his body, enjoying a large plate of dead ferrets. Skazzy watched in fascination as the hippogriff ate the ferrets, only being brought back to the present after hearing her brother's voice.

"What are they for, Hagrid?" said Harry, referring to an awful looking suit and tie.

"Buckbeak's case against the Committee fer the Disposal o' Dangerous Creatures," said Hagrid. "This Friday. Him an' me'll be goin' down ter London together. I've booked two beds on the Knight Bus..."

Harry felt a nasty pang of guilt. He had completely forgotten that Buckbeak's trial was so near, and judging by the uneasy look on Ron's face, he had too. Skazzy looked like she was trying to remember what he was talking about. They had forgotten their promise about helping him prepare Buckbeak's defense; the whole debacle with Skazzy at Christmas had driven it clean out of their minds.

Hagrid poured them tea and offered them a plate of Bath buns but they knew better than to accept; they had had too much experience with Hagrid's cooking.

"I got somethin' ter discuss with you two, er, three," said Hagrid, sitting himself between them and looking uncharacteristically serious.

"What?" said Harry.

"Hermione," said Hagrid.

"What about her?" said Ron.

"She's in a righ' state, that's what. She's bin comin' down ter visit me a lot since Chris'mas. Bin feelin' lonely, confused. Since yer not talkin' to her because her cat..."

"Ate Scabbers!" Ron interjected angrily.

"Because her cat acted like all cats do," Hagrid continued doggedly. "She's cried a fair few times, yeh know. Goin' through a rough time at the moment. Bitten off more'n she can chew, if yeh ask me, all the work she's tryin' ter do. Still found time ter help me with Buckbeak's case, mind... She's found some really good stuff fer me... reckon he'll stand a good chance now..."

"Hagrid, we should've helped as well, sorry," Harry began awkwardly.

"I'm not blamin' yeh!" said Hagrid, waving Harry's apology aside. "Gawd knows yeh've had enough ter be getting' on with. I've seen yeh practicin' quidditch ev'ry hour o' the day an' night — but I gotta tell yeh, I thought you three'd value yer friend more'n rats. Tha's all."

Harry and Ron exchanged uncomfortable looks. Skazzy shrugged.

"She's not entirely innocent herself. She's been snapping at people. She made Amity cry for a day," Skazzy pointed out.

"She's got her heart in the right place, Hermione has, an' you three not talkin' to her..."

"If she'd just get rid of that cat, I'd speak to her again!" Ron said angrily. "But she's still sticking up for it! It's a maniac, and she won't hear a word against it!"

"Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow.

They spent the rest of their visit discussing Gryffindor's improved chances for the quidditch cup. At nine o'clock, Hagrid walked them back up to the castle.

* * *

On Saturday morning, Hermione kept shooting suspicious looks down the table at Harry, but he avoided her eye. Skazzy frowned.

"What's up?" she asked sitting down next to her brother.

"Hogsmeade weekend. She threatened to tell Professor McGonagall about the map," Harry whispered.

"This is why you shouldn't tell them things. It would be very hard for her to tell anyone about a map she didn't know about," Skazzy said. "Alibi?"

"Yeah."

Skazzy and Harry were careful to let her see them walking back up the marble staircase in the entrance hall as everybody else proceeded to the front doors.

"Bye!" Harry called to Ron. "See you when you get back!" Ron grinned and winked.

Harry hurried up to the third floor with Skazzy, slipping the Marauder's Map out of his pocket as he went. Crouching behind the one-eyed witch, he smoothed it out. A tiny dot was moving in their direction. Harry squinted at it. The minuscule writing next to it read _Severus Snape_.

"Quick, put the cloak on, get in the classroom," Skazzy hissed. The two of them managed to get in the classroom and under the cloak without Professor Snape noticing. He spent a long amount of time outside of the classroom, before leaving. Skazzy and Harry waited until he was far enough away to leave the classroom. Skazzy took Harry's bag, waved to Harry and went to find a place to hide, being Harry's alibi.

She tried to focus on her work, but she kept feeling weird. She couldn't sit still, and ended up pacing the entire classroom. Her fingers itched to make the dreamless sleep potion. She ended up reciting all the plants they had studied in Herbology this year in her mind to try and distract herself from the urge like Madam Pomfrey had suggested. It was having a varied amount of success, since one of the plants was an ingredient in the potion. But she was trying. For Harry.

She periodically checked the map, and noticed that Harry had suddenly appeared back on the map, and was moving quickly through the passageway. And Snape was moving to that floor. She cursed and wiped the map. She grabbed her bag and Harry's and hurried to the witch, glad she hadn't traveled far away from it. Harry coming back early was a bad sign.

Harry appeared, and Skazzy tossed his bag over him.

"See? I told you I was faster," Skazzy said, leaning her hands on her knees and panting just as Professor Snape turned the corner, pretending they had been racing to explain their panting. He scowled at Skazzy, before turning to Harry.

"So," he said.

There was a look of suppressed triumph about him. Harry tried to look innocent, all too aware of his sweaty face and his muddy hands, which he quickly hid in his pockets.

"Come with me, Potter," said Snape. Both Harry and Skazzy followed him. "I did not ask for both of you."

"No, but you didn't specify," Skazzy said, surprised that Professor Snape had actually just admitted she existed. First time he had actually ever addressed her.

"The male Potter," Professor Snape said.

"What's he done?" Skazzy asked, following the two.

"He was seen in Hogsmeade," Professor Snape answered reluctantly.

"How could he possibly have been in Hogsmeade if he was with me all day?" Skazzy asked, disbelief on her face as she looked at her brother. Luckily Professor Snape couldn't tell it was because she was surprised her brother had been seen. Professor Snape scowled at that.

"You're certain he's been with you? Can anyone else verify that?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yeah, he worked on his Defense essay, and supervised me doing potions homework," Skazzy said, glad that she had quickly looked through Harry's bag to see what homework assignment he had in there. "We've been doing that all day."

Professor Snape looked like Christmas had been cancelled. "You're willing to swear that?"

"Yes. I'm pretty sure I know what I've been doing all day, and who I've been doing it with," Skazzy replied. She was being completely truthful. She just wasn't telling him that truth.

"Where are you two headed now?" Professor Snape asked, not willing to let them go quite yet.

"Hufflepuff common room, so I can drop my homework off," Skazzy lied. The professor scowled, but allowed them to leave. The two headed away from him.

"I left the cloak in the witch," Harry whispered to Skazzy. She groaned, and pulled the map out of her pocket.

"He's gone," Skazzy said, checking to see if they could go back.

"And someone's coming," Harry whispered frantically. Skazzy wiped the map just before Professor Lupin rounded the corner.

"Hi professor," Harry said. Skazzy nodded, noticing that the professor was looking at the map in her hand.

"Hello Harry, Phoen-Skazzy," Professor Lupin said, mildly. "Is that a spare bit of parchment there? May I see it?"

"Yes, it is a spare piece of parchment, and no, you can't see it," Skazzy said. Harry took the map from her and showed it to Professor Lupin.

"See? Spare parchment," Harry said, glaring at Skazzy.

"It's mine. I don't have to give it to anyone if I don't want to," Skazzy complained, folding her arms. Harry went to say something when Professor Lupin surprised them by opening the map.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," Professor Lupin said, and watched as the blank piece of parchment became a map. Harry looked at the professor in confusion and opened his mouth to say something.

"I don't want to hear any excuses," said Lupin shortly. "I happen to know that this map was confiscated by Mr. Filch many years ago," he said. Skazzy looked at him suspiciously, fingers itching to take it back. "I don't want to know how it fell into your possession. I am, however, _astounded_ that you didn't hand it in. And I can't let you have it back."

"It's mine though. Last I checked, this was not on the list of things we weren't allowed to have by uh, the grouchy guy. And why would we give it up when we can check and make sure Black isn't around us and it's not contraband?" Skazzy asked, Harry nodding.

"It's not contraband because no one knows about it. I'm sure that if Filch knew that something like this existed, he would ban it. And you should have given it to a teacher, to protect all the students from Sirius Black. I cannot make you take Black seriously. But I would have thought that what you have heard when the Dementors draw near you would have had more of an effect on you. Your parents gave their lives to keep you alive, Harry, Phoenix. A poor way to repay them, gambling their sacrifice for a bag of magic tricks."

Lupin indicated the pocket where Harry had a bag from Zonko's showing. Harry looked down, but Skazzy had enough of the professor and his ways. He was always watching her, always screwing up her name, and always giving her a stupid look that she hated. This professor treated her as if he knew her, and he didn't. That, and she'd been feeling jittery and angry now that she had her strength back. Madam Pomfrey said it would go away eventually with time, a reaction to withdrawal, but for now Skazzy had reached her breaking point with the professor who was being a hypocrite.

"Fuck you."

Professor Lupin and Harry stared at Skazzy. She was now glaring at Professor Lupin with murder in her eye.

"I think we should go now," Harry said, trying to grab his sister's arm.

"No. What gives you the fucking right to say that to him? To us? We have lived without our parents for most of our lives. We HAVE realized the consequences. WE live with the consequences. You knew our father? So what? That gives you no right to tell us how to feel about what they did. You are just a random teacher who won't even be here next year," Skazzy voices was filled with venom. "Sirius Black is apparently after _my_ brother. Not other students. If the other students aren't forced to obey all the stupid rules he is, then obviously they aren't in as much danger. As far as I'm concerned, that means the other students will probably be fine without other teachers having this map. And you obviously knew this was a map, and have clearly known about it for far longer than we possibly could have. Why wouldn't you have gone searching for it at the beginning of the year, knowing that it would be useful? Wouldn't you also know everything about it that we would? Why didn't _you_ tell anyone it existed?"

"Skaz, you don't want a detention," Harry hissed as he pulled her away.

"I don't give a fuck. I stand by what I said last year. I wish our parents had taken us and left everyone in England to rot," Skazzy said. Professor Lupin was looking hurt, and winced when she said that. "I can't wait to graduate and get the hell out of here."

Skazzy allowed Harry to drag her away, turning her back on Professor Lupin.

"You aren't going to stay?" Professor Lupin asked, dazed.

"Why the fuck would I stay in a country where people will turn on my brother, judge him, and send us to live with our relatives and force us to stay there? No, fuck England. There is only one person who matters, and only a couple decent people. I'm sure we could find something to do in another country," Skazzy said. Harry finally managed to get Skazzy away while Professor Lupin was processing all of that.

"A little overboard, don't you think?" Harry hissed.

"I don't care. I think I'll be missing the extra lessons."

Harry sighed. "You know, you can't actually say that to people. He could have given you a detention for the rest of the year for disrespecting a professor."

"Let him give me a detention and take points. He can't actually do anything to me," Skazzy shrugged. "It's not like I have any privileges to lose."

"And what if you get expelled?" Harry asked, folding his arms. "Back to the Dursleys full time."

"All I have to do is not let them snap my wand. Or get another one. Borrow yours even. If I'm already expelled, they can't stop me from doing magic," Skazzy said, shrugging. She could also get revenge without magic, but decided that it was probably not wise to say that right now.

"Okay, fine. Can you please at least try to behave for me?" Harry asked. Skazzy thought for a minute.

"I can't promise anything," Skazzy answered truthfully. "I'd probably do the same thing again."

At this point they had reached the entrance hall, leaving Professor Lupin staring at their retreating backs and preventing them from getting the cloak. Ron had just come in, panting. He saw the two of them with no teachers, and relief was on his face.

"Oh, good. You didn't get in trouble," Ron said.

"Not for lack of someone trying," Harry said, glaring at Skazzy.

"I maintain he deserved it. Can we be glad that I didn't go off on Snape?" Skazzy retorted.

"It would have been better if you didn't go off on any professor. I'm surprised he let you get away with it," Harry said. Ron was looking between the two in confusion.

"What happened?" Harry filled him in, on returning, leaving the cloak, Professor Snape, and Professor Lupin. "How'd he know it was a map?"

"Does it matter? He can't yell at us for knowing about it and not handing it in if he's guilty of the exact same thing. And I hate people who try and use guilt to get you to agree with them," Skazzy scowled, folding her arms.

"Including me?" her brother asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Only exception. And even then, it's cause I grew up with you and give a shit about you," Skazzy fought to keep a straight face, gently punching her brother.

"You're are definitely unlike my siblings," Ron said, shaking his head.

"I'm pretty sure the world could do without more Fred and George," Harry said, smiling.

"Yeah, it's just, I don't get it," Ron said. "How come you're so... You can be mean and awful to everyone, but you never fight with Harry, Skazzy. Ever. Not that I've seen. Have you two ever not talked to each other?"

"No, just that one year at Hogwarts," Harry said, furrowing his brows while thinking. Skazzy changed the subject. That was not a topic she wanted them to spend any time on. Ever.

"Anyway, what happened in Hogsmeade?" she asked. Harry explained, and they began heading back to the Gryffindor common room so Ron could pick up his school books.

"It's my fault," said Ron abruptly. "I persuaded you to go. It was stupid, we shouldn't've done it.."

He broke off; Hermione was walking toward them.

"Come to have a good gloat?" said Ron savagely as she stopped in front of them. "Or have you just been to tell on us?"

"No," said Hermione. She was holding a letter in her hands and her lip was trembling. "I just thought you ought to know... Hagrid lost his case. Buckbeak is going to be executed."

* * *

Remus walked back to his office with the map in hand, trying to process what had just happened. Phoenix didn't hold back any of her punches. The amount of hate she had for the wizarding world... her viciousness... What happened to her?

But she did have a point.

He had known about the passageway and hadn't told anyone. He knew about Black's animagus form and hadn't told anyone. He didn't have the right to tell them off. It's not like they knew Black knew about the passages. And Phoenix had a point, that with the map on them they'd know if Black was around. He was just, just.

He didn't want them to get hurt. And he couldn't show them how worried he really was because yes, he was a strange professor they didn't know. He hadn't told them he was Phoenix's godfather. He wasn't sure how she would react to that. It was bad enough she had just said that he didn't matter, if she said that while knowing the relationship they could have had...

Remus sat at his desk, dropping the map and putting his head in his hands.

He was a failure. He failed Lily and James. Phoenix thought it would have been better if Voldemort destroyed England. She didn't appreciate how Lily and James actually fought. She had no idea what they wanted and hoped. All she knew was that they were dead, and they had died protecting Harry and herself. That's it. Nothing more. And it was as if she didn't care about learning more.

She wasn't like either of them. Harry may look like James, but he had Lily's personality. Non-confrontational unless someone else started it first. Or at least that's the side he showed. Phoenix didn't care like Lily did, or have the sense of humor of James. She didn't want to be in the limelight, but she just...didn't care. She was so apathetic about things. And Harry, Harry never said anything against his sister. He was only trying to get her to stop because Remus was a professor. What if he agreed with Phoenix? Had he lost his chance for the last two Potters to trust him?

It wasn't until after he had spent a few hours wishing he had made different decisions in life that he realized exactly what Phoenix Potter had said. When it occurred to him he shot up.

If only one person mattered, did that mean she didn't care about what happened to her? She obviously cared about her brother, but didn't she care about herself?

She wouldn't do anything reckless, would she?

Remembering Christmas, Remus couldn't shake the feeling that she would.

* * *

In the Department of Mysteries, one of the Committee heads scowled at the letter in her hand. Agent Valkyrie finally had an answer to one of the mysteries plaguing the Committee on Time: the location of the missing Time-Turner. One of the scabs Dumbledore thought he had placed in the Department must have taken it.

Giving it to a young pre-teen girl, was he insane? He didn't know how it worked, not during a stressful time like puberty. And for something so stupid like taking classes. It was probably allowed simply because she was a muggleborn whose parents wouldn't notice a change, wouldn't know that something was wrong. What if it stunted her magical growth?

Although, this would be a good opportunity to study the effects repeated use of a Time-Turner had on a young witch going through puberty. She would just have to get the atypical experiment approved. And have near daily missives on the girl in question. Wouldn't be hard since the girl already had the Time-Turner.

After all, the rule was no designing experiments for use on underage children. The girl already had the Time-Turner. It would be a waste of information if nothing was done while the girl was using it.

Agent Valkyrie wondered if she could use the theft of a Time-Turner by a scab to force scabs to be placed under stricter oaths. She understood the idea of having scabs, they were the dummy department. The scabs were there so that there was no interference by outsiders on the department. Rookwood, Bode and Croaker had only been allowed in the department to prevent the Ministry, Voldemort or Dumbledore to try harder to find out what was going on. The scabs weren't even working on things that they could make progress on.

The only rooms they were able to get to were the Room of Death, with the Veil that could only be used by a born necromancer, the Time Room which just held Time-Turners since the true mysteries were based on the Room Outside of Time, the Prophesy room were no prophecy made by an oracle was recorded. Seers were hit or miss. Oracles always predicted the truth. Better if people didn't have access to them. Then there was the Room of Attack Brains, or the room on 'Thought' as the scabs knew it. The brains were to prevent the scabs from getting anywhere. After all, they were specifically designed to attack people. Then there was the 'Love Room', which was just the door to the rest of the department. And the Astronomy room, to distract more scabs.

No, all those things had already been researched in more depth, and were mostly harmless for people to know about. Of course, some scab was going to get it. Agent Valkyrie smiled viciously. She had no love for Dumbledore, not since last year. He had monumentally messed up running Hogwarts. Not discovering a basilisk in the school? Not checking for dark artifacts, allowing children to come to harm?

The minute she got that letter, she knew Hogwarts was going to require closer watch and had reported it to the Security Committee. The Committee on Dark Objects with the Ability to Possess Magical Beings had been ecstatic that she had managed to get them the object, and had sequestered themselves for the past year doing experiments on it. The whole department was expecting the report to be fascinating.

Now, if only she could get an answer to what was going on in that Room. Why were the two Unspeakables asking about Sirius Black's trial and, more importantly, why the hell were they asking questions about her daughter.

Yes, Deryn Fear née Pyrites wanted answers, and she wanted them now.


	14. Quidditch, Dog, and Contemplation

Disclaimer: I do not own. Sigh.

To the last reviewer: I agree, the story is moving slowly. I'll take some of the blame for that, as this chapter took awhile to write because I just want to jump to the end of the book. The other blame is I'm trying not to make Skazzy a Mary Sue, notice everything that's wrong, and solve it and breath out rainbows. Most of the exciting parts of the book have been side-stepped because of small decisions, because that's how I believe life happens. Skazzy observes, and based on her personality and the fact that I don't believe perfect humans exist, she makes mistakes or comes to wrong conclusions. Also, the third book focused a heck of a lot on quidditch. Seriously. The latter books will definitely differ from their bases.

* * *

"He sent me this," Hermione said, holding out the letter.

Harry took it. The parchment was damp, and enormous teardrops had smudged the ink so badly in places that it was very difficult to read. He read it out loud for Ron and Skazzy.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _We lost. I'm allowed to bring him back to Hogwarts. Execution date to be fixed. Beaky has enjoyed London._

 _I won't forget all the help you gave us. Hagrid_

"They can't do this," said Harry. "They can't. Buckbeak isn't dangerous."

"Malfoy's dad's frightened the Committee into it," said Hermione, wiping her eyes. "You know what he's like. They're a bunch of doddery old fools, and they were scared. There'll be an appeal, though, there always is. Only I can't see any hope... Nothing will have changed."

"Yeah, it will," said Ron fiercely. "You won't have to do all the work alone this time, Hermione. I'll help."

"Oh, Ron!"

Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Skazzy hid behind her brother in case Hermione decided to attack her next. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head, mouthing 'help me' to Skazzy and Harry. Skazzy shook her head, mouthing back 'better you than me'. Harry just shrugged, a hapless look on his face. Finally, Hermione drew away.

"Ron, I'm really, really sorry about Scabbers..." she sobbed.

"Oh, well, he was old," said Ron, looking thoroughly relieved that she had let go of him. "And he was a bit useless. You never know, Mum and Dad might get me an owl now."

Skazzy just stared at them as the two went into the common room to get their books and study.

"What just happened?" Skazzy asked, looking at her brother.

"They finally got over their fight," Harry said, looking relieved that he no longer had to deal with that. "I guess we'll be study laws about Hippogriffs."

"Joy," Skazzy said dryly.

* * *

Amity was confused. Her mother kept asking her about how Hermione was doing. Her mother had never seemed as interested in her friends last year, and didn't ask about Nixie or Ginny or Luna or her other classmates. Just Hermione. She also hadn't actually answered Amity's question about the possibility of being in two places at once. She just said it was unlikely that Hermione Granger was able to create magic to give that appearance, and Amity must have lost track of the time.

On the bright side, her mother had assured her that even if Professor Lupin was a werewolf, he was most likely taking proper precautions. Otherwise he'd be risking his own life as well. Did this mean that Professor Snape hated werewolves on principle? Why did Professor Snape hate him so much? It bothered Amity, who was a big believer in fairness like most Hufflepuffs. It wasn't exactly Professor Lupin's fault he was a werewolf, right? Although the only way to know for sure was to ask him, and her mother had cautioned her against that, saying other parents would not be as open minded if they found out.

She sighed as Binns droned on, Nixie sleeping on the desk next to her, unscarred side of her face up, drooling. Nixie had been working with Ron to try and save Hagrid's hippogriff, since Hermione and Harry were both swamped with their own work. Nixie had complained about dry, boring law books, stating that she would rather listen to Binns than do anything with government again. Not that that would ever happen since Binns put her to sleep immediately unless someone kept her awake. Amity smiled sadly at her sleeping friend.

Learning that Nixie had been abusing potions during Christmas break was the one of the worst memories in her life, almost as bad as those few minutes that it looked like Nixie was going to die in the Chamber, and the well, the whole time in the Chamber probably counts. Professor Sprout had come to her house asking if she had noticed anything, and all Amity could do was stand in shock that her best friend had been abusing potions. And that she hadn't noticed.

Amity knew that Nixie did not completely trust her, but she had prided herself on being the second most knowledgable about Nixie, second most trusted. She knew what was normal for Nixie and what was abnormal. She had noticed that Nixie didn't eat enough, had noticed her little ticks. Noticed how she always looked for Harry upon entering a room. Noticed as she stayed a good distance away from everyone. She had even noticed when Nixie was hurt by what people said about her. She acted tough, but it was mostly a facade. An attempt to convince Harry and people watching her that she was fine. Besides Harry, Amity felt confident she was the only person who could read Nixie. She lived in the same dorm with her, and should have spoken up. She had noticed that Nixie had been sleeping too long, she missed Astronomy, she remembered Nixie's strange look at the dreamless sleep potion their first trip to the hospital wing. After the fact it was so easy to put everything together, but she hadn't put it together when it counted.

Her mother had consoled her, told her it wasn't her fault.

But wasn't it? Hufflepuff looks after their own. That it was Nixie was not an excuse for her. That there were only two Hufflepuffs who actually checked on Nixie meant she should have been extra observant. Disappearing for a while, the amount of empty vials in her trunk, how she had gotten better at potions. Why hadn't she noticed? Why?

Not for the first time, and not for the last, Amity wondered what made Nixie so terrified. What had she seen? Why did she trust no one, and why did she seem to think that she needed to be strong for her brother?

How much did Nixie trust her? She had permission to call her by the nickname the twins had bestowed upon her. Ginny didn't have that privilege, and most times the two of them interacted it was because Amity had forced them to. Nixie was extra guarded around Ginny, her gaze never wavering. Ginny had complained to Amity and Hermione, but they couldn't do anything. Hermione was helpless, saying that Nixie was a wild card. Hermione had too many classes, and Amity was beginning to see a look in Hermione's eyes that she saw in Nixie, in Harry, and occasionally in Ron. A look that her _mother_ has, after living through a war. They were too young for that, weren't they? What did they _know_ that the rest of them didn't?

Amity had heard the whispered words her parents had spoken when they thought she wasn't listening. Potion abuse so young indicates home life is not the best. She was beginning to realize that her best friend was hiding something huge, hiding something that affected her, affected her brother. It wasn't _normal_ for Nixie to be so dependent on her brother. Ron didn't spend all his time with his brothers, Ginny spent the time she did around the group simply because of Amity. And Hermione, and her crush on Harry. It wasn't because she needed to be around Ron. There was the twins, but everybody said they were a law to themselves.

Luna had said something to her once, and Amity had learned over the past semester that the Ravenclaw's advice might sound strange or nonsensical, but she spoke truth. She had made a comment about Nixie being an unfortunate victim of the Blibbering Humdingers whose sting can cause the victim to have an unfounded fear that someone they care about will disappear if they are out of sight for too long, and lose the ability to trust anyone other than that person.

While Amity didn't believe it was a Blibbering Humdinger, she did recognize that Luna was right that Nixie seemed to have a fear that her brother would disappear, and that he was definitely the only person she completely trusted. It seemed to extend both ways, with the two Potters occasionally disappearing together and coming back with solemn looks and refusing to discuss what they had talked about.

Amity was beginning to realize that her friendship to Nixie was catapulting her into a world she wasn't sure she was ready for. She sighed and went back to taking notes, since Nixie and the other Hufflepuffs would need them, judging by the blank looks on Aria and Elia's faces, Calenthia's disinterest, and the boys playing hangman. At least they all had one subject they excelled at. She was assigned history because she tried to stay awake, and because Sully was a tad better than her at Transfiguration. Potions had fallen to Calenthia, although everyone had admitted that Nixie was the best. She just wasn't...personable. She was Nixie, and thinking about her wasn't helping with writing history notes.

When class ended, the two headed towards the Gryffindor table where Hermione seemed to have cracked.

"What happened?" Skazzy asked her brother while Amity went to comfort the older girl.

"She slapped Malfoy and missed Charms, and quit Divination," came the answer.

"Wish I could have seen it," Skazzy said, looking at Hermione.

"It was pretty cool," Harry acknowledged.

"I'm crossing that off the list of classes to take," Skazzy added.

"I missed the cheering charm, and it's probably going to be on the exam!" Hermione was crying.

"Well, can't you get Ron or Harry to teach you?" Amity said, patting her on the back. Hermione brightened at that, before becoming morose again.

"I don't know if I'll have time," Hermione answered, fingering a chain around her neck.

"Look, if Ron and I can do it, you definitely can," Harry said, trying to be encouraging. Hermione smiled.

"I don't suppose you'll teach me too," Skazzy said. Harry looked at her, weighing the pros and cons.

"All right, you are helping Buckbeak," Harry acquiesced.

"And me!" Amity said, although Hermione had noticed a slight pause before Amity added herself. She frowned, wondering what had happened. Amity usually inserted herself immediately, especially when it came to studying with the older students. She filed it away in her mind to think about later.

She would forget.

* * *

The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The Hufflepuff second years had scheduled time to meet and discuss what they had learned in classes, a review for the exams coming up. Amity dragged Skazzy to all of them despite her complaints about needing to help Buckbeak and being able to learn on her own. Amity had to remind Skazzy that she still wasn't allowed to be alone with a cauldron, so Skazzy went to the meetings, grumbling and glaring at everyone. She reluctantly helped out at the potions one, which was being monitored by Heidi, since despite her limitations, everyone acknowledged she was the best of the Hufflepuffs.

But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears.

Ron and Skazzy had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When they weren't doing their own work or being forced to go to a group study, they were poring over enormously thick volumes with names like _The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality_. Ron was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks. Skazzy just gave the cat strange looks, but didn't comment on him. Amity, Ginny and Luna worked on homework in the library as well when they had time, with Amity giving Skazzy a few strange looks that everyone but Skazzy noticed, but failed to comment on.

Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points.

He was coming out of tactic meetings angry and muttering complaints.

"If he's told me once, he's told me a thousand times. I know that I need to get the snitch when we're more than fifty points up. I can do math!" He complained at one of the library sessions, quietly since Madame Pince was glaring at the group.

"Have I mentioned I'm glad I'm not on the quidditch team?" Skazzy said, looking up from _Beast Law and Hippogriff Behavior._ "Now, Buckbeak hadn't show any signs of anger before Malfoy, right?"

"You're a Hufflepuff, you wouldn't deal with Wood," Amity said, wincing as she heard the bite in her words. Skazzy looked up and then over to her brother, wondering what she had done now. Harry shrugged before going back to his Divination homework.

"Yeah, he showed no signs of antagonistic behavior," Ron said, writing something down. "Do you have something?"

Skazzy and Ron started comparing notes and writing up a timeline of the incident. Amity excused herself, picking up her homework and leaving the library. Luna followed.

"Do you know, sometimes it's hard when it seems like everyone's against you. Sometimes I end up wondering if maybe they are right. But then I remember that I am not them, and do not have to be constricted by their beliefs. I can choose to believe in the unknown," Luna said, more focused than Amity had ever remembered seeing her. Luna turned and started walking to the Ravenclaw tower. "I'll see if Daddy can find a cure for a Blibbering Humdinger bite."

Amity watched her walk away as Ginny came out of the library.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, looking from Luna to Amity.

"I think Luna just told me something important," Amity answered. "Now I just need to figure out what she means."

"Good luck," Ginny said, clapping her on the shoulder and heading towards the Gryffindor dorm.

Amity started to head back to her Common Room when a voice distracted her.

"Trouble in paradise?" a smooth voice called out, and Amity saw a Slytherin girl come out of the library and hurry to catch up to her. Amity waited for her to catch up, Hufflepuff not having the same antagonistic relationship with Slytherin as Gryffindors.

"Trouble in paradise?" Amity asked, confused. The Slytherin smoothed out her skirt and hair after having rushed over.

"You and the Potter girl. You've been acting a bit strange around her, ever since she started taking classes again. Rumor has it she was addicted to a potion, and that's why she wasn't allowed back in Potions Class. Her absence was very...noticeable. But no one in Hufflepuff will talk about what happened, and no one is stupid enough to ask either Potter straight up," The Slytherin said, making Amity wince that the Slytherin had noticed.

"Everything is fine," Amity lied. She didn't need any rumors going around about her, it was bad enough she constantly got asked why she was still friends with Nixie.

The Slytherin gave her a look that showed she didn't agree. "Last year, a few of us were impressed. We thought it was brilliant of you to stick by Potter, even when it turned out she was...her. Some Slytherins thought you were attempting to place yourself close to the Boy Who Lived through his sister, thinking he would look favorably on the one person to stick by his sister. But that's not why you did it."

"No, I don't care who her brother is. I...I met her before the sorting and she seemed so lost I felt sorry for her," Amity said, sitting down in the corridor and hugging her knees. The Slytherin looked at the floor with distaste, but sat next to her anyway.

"The way you defend her to people led me to believe that. Others thought it was all part of your plan, but you aren't a Slytherin who makes plans within plans within plans. You're...honest. I don't think a lot of people here are honest. Definitely not in Slytherin. To get the truth you need to know everything about a person and their family and goals. Everything else is grandstanding," the Slytherin said. "The good Slytherins keep their mouths shut and keep out of the limelight."

"Why are you telling me this?" Amity asked, wary. After all, the Slytherin had just admitted that most of them had plans. The girl sighed.

"Your friendship with Potter, it...gave me hope," she admitted. "If someone could actually befriend someone like her who doesn't hide and is obnoxious, then there must be non-Slytherins who would befriend us. She's someone who seems like she would be isolated and alone, and that's often what happens to us. We have the house, but inside the dorm, well, it's ugly. So the fact that Potter, who has admitted that she's not a people person could have a friend, there was hope for me."

"I'm still her friend, it's just...Sometimes I don't think I know her, and yet I know her second best in school," Amity let it out. She briefly thought that maybe it would be all over the castle tomorrow but she needed to talk to somebody, and nobody else had offered an ear. "I know she knows me, even if she doesn't put me first, and I know that she cares a little. Ron said that she had been crying when they met up with her at the Chamber last year, saying she had been stupid and awful for not realizing something was wrong with us. And she keeps staying with me. Not always, not if she can be with Harry, but she listens to me, which is more than most people can say. She's my best friend, but I'm not hers. And that hurts, and with everything that's happened this year I just don't know what to do. I don't know if being friends with her is something I should continue to do because she has problems that I don't understand, and she can be extreme and uncaring, and I'm just twelve. I don't know how to deal with this."

After Amity started letting her feelings out, she couldn't seem to stop. The Slytherin listened quietly.

"Well, I can't help you because most of my friends I know wouldn't hesitate to turn if it was to their benefit. I think only you can decide. But, speaking as a sister, you never know exactly how to deal with someone. My sister and I can argue one minute, and then be gossiping the next. My mom says that not knowing how to deal with someone is part of a relationship," the Slytherin said after a few minutes of quiet when it was apparent that Amity had finished speaking. "What ever you choose, I don't think anyone would blame you for getting out now."

Amity thought for a few minutes. Of vaguely remembering Nixie's words 'please be alive' while she was fading in and out of consciousness. Of how she felt seeing Nixie about to die, and then hearing about it. And she remembered who she was.

"No, I'm not getting out. I'm a Hufflepuff. We see things through to the end, we work hard, and we're loyal. This is just a bump in the road. I wouldn't be a good Hufflepuff if I stopped when the going gets tough," Amity said, determination on her face. The Slytherin smiled. "What's your name? I know we have classes together but..."

"Astoria," the Slytherin said, standing up. Amity stood up as well and reached out her hand. Astoria took it.

"Thank you, I needed that," Amity said, turning around to head back to the library. She walked a few feet and then turned back to Astoria. "Oh, and I think you found that friend you were hoping to."

Amity turned and continued to the library, missing the genuinely happy smile on the Slytherin's face.

"At least one person from another house doesn't hate us," she whispered. It was a thought she would hold onto for the next week as her classmates turned on their competitive streak.

* * *

Never, in anyone's memory, had a match approached in such a highly charged atmosphere. By the time the holidays were over, tension between the two teams and their Houses was at the breaking point. A number of small scuffles broke out in the corridors, culminating in a nasty incident in which a Gryffindor fourth year and a Slytherin sixth year ended up in the hospital wing with leeks sprouting out of their ears.

Harry was having a particularly bad time of it. He couldn't walk to class without Slytherins sticking out their legs and trying to trip him up; Crabbe and Goyle kept popping up wherever he went, and slouching away looking disappointed when they saw him surrounded by people. Wood had given instructions that Harry should be accompanied everywhere he went, in case the Slytherins tried to put him out of action. The whole of Gryffindor House took up the challenge enthusiastically, so that it was impossible for Harry to get to classes on time because he was surrounded by a vast, chattering crowd. It was wearing Skazzy's nerves thin, being surrounded by so many people. Luckily Amity was there to help distract Skazzy, or get her away from the giant crowds she couldn't handle. She was also good at making sure she didn't get into a fight with the Slytherins.

Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall the next day to enormous applause. Harry couldn't help grinning broadly as he saw that both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables were applauding them too. The Slytherin table hissed loudly as they passed. Harry noticed that Malfoy looked even paler than usual.

Skazzy took one look at her brother, and besides noticing that he hadn't slept well, noticed he was worried about something not quidditch related. He would eat when Wood told him to, but if no one was talking to him about quidditch he became pensive.

Wood spent the whole of breakfast urging his team to eat, while touching nothing himself. Then he hurried them off to the field before anyone else had finished, so they could get an idea of the conditions. As they left the Great Hall, everyone applauded again.

"Good luck, Harry!" called Cho. Skazzy, who was following her brother and his quidditch team, noticed he turned a tinge red, and she glared at the Chinese girl.

"Okay! No wind to speak of, but the sun's a bit bright, that could impair your vision, watch out for it. The ground's fairly hard, good, that'll give us a fast kickoff..." Wood was jumping on the ground testing it. During all of this Skazzy managed to grab her brother and pull him off to the side.

"What's up? At breakfast you looked distracted," she asked him quietly.

"Well, everyone's counting on me..." Harry started.

"Not buying it. Something else. What?" Skazzy asked, shaking her head. Harry sighed, and told her about seeing Crookshanks with the Grim-like dog.

"Again, it's probably not a sign of your death. I mean, Crookshanks went after Ron's rat, not you. If he were helping the dog, wouldn't it make more sense for him to attack you?" Skazzy pointed out, trying to calm her brother down. "Drop Divination, it's not helping you. Now you're freaking out about too much nonsense."

"Alright, fine. No more Divination, happy?" Harry said, smiling and relaxing a little bit as they watched Wood continue to make a fool of himself testing the playing condition. "But why would Crookshanks hang out with a dog?"

"Excellent point, but I'm going to remind you that curiosity killed the cat, and I see no reason to investigate," Skazzy said, remembering how she had told the dog that she would come back for an explanation. "And what could you do now?"

Harry nodded and rejoined the team. Wood paced the field, staring around with the team behind him. Finally, they saw the front doors of the castle open in the distance and the rest of the school spilling onto the lawn.

"Locker rooms," said Wood tersely. Skazzy watched as they all left, and she wandered over to the Forbidden Forest. The dog often showed up whenever she was there. Now that there was no chance Harry could see and investigate, she would.

She wanted answers about what had happened to her and why the two animals thought Ron's rat was alive. She spent a few minutes and was about to give up when she noticed the eyes of the dog. She looked around, making sure no one was watching her, and she sat down in front of the dog, hiding herself from view.

"You are really freaking my brother out. He thinks you're the Grimm," she told the dog frankly. The dog whined and rested his head on his paws, looking dolefully up at her. "Nope. Not buying it. Something strange is going on, and you are in the middle of it, and making us in the middle of it, and I want Harry not in the middle of it."

She paused. "I also want to know what it is, and why I always find you or you always find me. You aren't a crup."

The dog shook his head.

"You aren't a crup, you understand me, you don't want what's best for yourself and you hate a rat that appears to be dead that you claim isn't and you've never seen," Skazzy summarized. The dog nodded, tongue hanging out. "What are your intentions towards my brother?"

The dog looked quizzically at her, so she clarified. "Whatever you are involved in, you don't plan on hurting my brother?"

The dog shook his head violently. Skazzy nodded, hearing Lee Jordan's voice from the pitch and realizing she needed to get there soon. Her brother would definitely be suspicious if she missed this important match. "Meet me tonight, here. I am going to find out more of what's going on. But that doesn't mean I believe you. I'm still having problems with the fact that I'm having a conversation with a dog. But I have questions, and for some reason you tie back to all the problems."

* * *

Sirius watched as Phoenix walked away. He wanted to tell her no, under absolutely no circumstances was she to leave the castle with Dementors around, but she had turned around and started walking away. Someone would stop her, right? If she didn't tell Harry, he'd be concerned if she disappeared. Sirius could still remember the panicked and horrified look on his face as he saw his sister laying in the snow. At least she was wearing the necklace.

Now, to try and figure out what to tell her and how, so that she didn't immediately turn him in and that she didn't think he was untrustworthy. That meant a lot to him, even if he was really lying to her by not revealing himself. At least he would be able to say that at least one Potter hadn't hated him for a while. He didn't really want to find out what she would do when she found out the truth of who he was. That, he'd keep under wraps if she came tonight.

Remus had better stop her. He cared about Phoenix as much as Sirius, he wouldn't let her do something stupid.

* * *

"And here are the Gryffindors!" yelled Lee Jordan, who was acting as commentator as usual. "Potter, Bell, Johnson, Spinnet, Weasley, Weasley, and Wood. Widely acknowledged as the best team Hogwarts has seen in a good few years —"

Lee's comments were drowned by a tide of 'boos' from the Slytherin end.

"And here come the Slytherin team, led by Captain Flint. He's made some changes in the lineup and seems to be going for size rather than skill —"

More boos from the Slytherin crowd, although Ron was pointing out to Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Amity how it was true when Skazzy joined them. Malfoy was easily the smallest person On the Slytherin team; the rest of them were enormous.

"Where were you?" Amity asked as she settled in between Amity and Ron.

"Captains, shake hands!" said Madam Hooch.

"Long story," Skazzy said, trying to make sure her brother's friends weren't paying attention. She needn't have worried. Ron took quidditch seriously, and Hermione was still frazzled from everything.

Flint and Wood approached each other and grasped each other's hand very tightly; it looked as though each was trying to break the other's fingers.

"Mount your brooms!" said Madam Hooch. "Three... two... one..."

The sound of her whistle was lost in the roar from the crowd as fourteen brooms rose into the air. Skazzy silently thanked Madam Hooch because now she didn't have to answer Amity's question, and she would have time to come up with a lie. Harry was flying around, looking for the snitch, but unlike other games Skazzy's attention would end up being drawn off her brother.

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinner of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing UP the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger! – SHE SCORES! TEN-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight

"OUCH!"

Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between then. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY-ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

"This is not normal, right?" Skazzy asked Ron. Ron could only nod his head, ears red and mouth not working. Ginny was the same.

Flint, still bleeding freely, fly forward to take the Slytherin penalty. Wood was hovering in front of the Gryffindor goal posts, his jaw clenched.

"'Course, Wood's a superb Keeper!" Lee Jordan told the crowd as Flint waited for Madam Hooch's whistle. "Superb! Very difficult to pass — very difficult indeed — YES! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! HE'S SAVED IT!"

"They're playing dirty. Their goal is to win the cup by taking out the other team!" Ron finally managed. Hermione was clenching her hands, watching worriedly as the game continued.

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession — no! Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field — THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"

Montague, a Slytherin Chaser, had swerved in front of Katie, and instead of seizing the Quaffle had grabbed her head. Katie cart-wheeled in the air, managed to stay on her broom, but dropped the Quaffle.

Madam Hooch's whistle rang out again as she soared over to Montague and began shouting at him. A minute later, Katie had put another penalty past the Slytherin Keeper.

"Bloody hell! How hasn't Madam Hooch called him out? He shouldn't be allowed to continue after doing that," Amity said, shocking the others in the group to stare at her.

"THIRTY-ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING —"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way —"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

"You can't get ejected for fouls," Ron explained. Hermione sniffed in disapproval before pointing to Harry.

"Look!"

With a look of sudden concentration, Harry pulled his Firebolt around and sped off toward the Slytherin end. Malfoy went haring after him, clearly thinking Harry had seen the Snitch there...

WHOOSH.

One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again...

WHOOSH. The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in.

Neville, Ginny, Hermione and Amity were attempting to keep Ron and Skazzy from using magic on any of the Beaters.

"Let go! Don't you see what they're doing? They're trying to kill him!" Skazzy shrieked, as additional Gryffindors joined in the attempt to real Harry's crazy sister in.

"Those lousy cheating Slytherin scum. Merlin, Harry can see what their doing, right?" Ron said, Ginny and Dean holding him back while it took Amity, Hermione, Neville and Seamus to keep Skazzy under control. Neville and Seamus had her by the arms despite the fact that she was struggling to get free, Amity was standing in front of her so she couldn't do something stupid like jump, and Hermione was holding on to her wand so she couldn't cast any magic.

Luckily Harry turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, and Bole and Derrick collided with a sickening crunch.

"Ha haaa!" yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle — Flint alongside her — poke him in the eye, Angelina! — it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke — oh no — Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save —!"

But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession —"

It was turning into the (second) dirtiest game ever played in Hogwarts. Remus Lupin could remember a worse game back when he was a student, but none of the students now would remember that. Enraged that Gryffindor had taken such an early lead, the Slytherins were rapidly resorting to any means to take the Quaffle. Bole hit Alicia with his club and tried to say he'd thought she was a Bludger. George Weasley elbowed Bole in the face in retaliation. Madam Hooch awarded both teams penalties, and Wood pulled off another spectacular save, making the score forty-ten to Gryffindor.

Malfoy was still keeping close to Harry as he soared over the match, the only Slytherin to not do something to get a foul.

Katie scored. Fifty-ten. Fred and George Weasley were swooping around her, clubs raised, in case any of the Slytherins were thinking of revenge. Bole and Derrick took advantage of Fred's and George's absence to aim both Bludgers at Wood; they caught him in the stomach, one after the other, and he rolled over in the air, clutching his broom, completely winded.

Madam Hooch was beside herself —

"YOU DO NOT ATTACK THE KEEPER UNLESS THE QUAFFLE IS WITHIN THE SCORING AREA!" she shrieked at Bole and Derrick. "Gryffindor penalty!"

And Angelina scored. Sixty-ten. Moments later, Fred Weasley pelted a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seized it and put it through the Slytherin goal — seventy-ten.

The Gryffindor crowd below was screaming itself hoarse. Gryffindor was sixty points in the lead, and if Harry caught the Snitch now, the Cup was theirs. Hundreds of eyes were following Harry as he soared around the field, high above the rest of the game, with Malfoy speeding along behind him.

Harry put on a huge burst of speed; the wind was roaring in his ears; he stretched out his hand, but…

"Malfoy! He's blagging!" Ron yelled.

"Excuse you?" Hermione said, staring at him. Ginny explained the term to her as made fists with her hands.

"Next time Hermione, break his nose," Skazzy said, still struggling against her captors. "No, you know what, I'll do it."

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics." Madam Hooch screeched, shooting up to where Malfoy was sliding back onto his Nimbus Two Thousand and One.

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B —"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.

Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal — Montague scores —" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor..."

Harry was now marking Malfoy so closely their knees kept hitting each other.

"Harry's getting revenge," Ron said, smiling as he watched his friend annoy Malfoy into yelling something.

"Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"

Every single Slytherin player apart from Malfoy was streaking up the pitch toward Angelina, including the Slytherin Keeper. Harry wheeled the Firebolt around, bent so low he was lying flat along the handle, and kicked it forward. Like a bullet, he shot toward the Slytherins.

"What's he doing?" Skazzy asked, twitching as she imagined what would happen if no one moved.

"Scaring them off to let Angeline score," Ron answered. "Oh no."

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty Points to twenty!"

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, and Ginny pointed to Malfoy who seemed to be diving towards the snitch.

"Oh, Harry had better get it!" Ginny said, her and her brother both leaning forwards to watch Harry.

Harry, who had almost pelted headlong into the stands, skidded to a halt in midair, reversed, and zoomed back into the middle of the field. When he saw that Malfoy was diving, a look of triumph on his face he started speeding towards the opposing Seeker.

"Go! Go! Go!" The Gryffindors and Amity were chanting as they watch Harry catch up to Malfoy. He dodged a Bludger and then threw himself forward, taking both his hands off his broom and knocking Malfoy's hand and he pulled out of the dive with the unmistakable golden ball in his hand.

The stadium exploded. Harry soared above the crowd, and then every member of the Gryffindor team mobbed him in mid air, before slowly coming down. Seamus and Neville had let go of Skazzy so that they could clap and cheer, and so Skazzy led the rest of the supporters over the barriers.

Hands were raining down on the team's backs, but Skazzy was single minded. Harry had a confused impression of noise and bodies pressing in on him before he felt his sister attach herself to him. He awkwardly tried to calm her down as he felt her heightened breathing and heart rate. Unfortunately for Skazzy, someone managed to detach her and Harry and the rest of the team, were hoisted onto the shoulders of the crowd. Skazzy could hear Hagrid yelling as she desperately tried to reach her brother, cursing the fact that Hermione still had her wand. "Yeh beat 'em, Harry, yeh beat 'em! Wait till I tell Buckbeak!"

Harry watched as his sister began to freak out, but there was so much to see. There was Percy, jumping up and down like a maniac, all dignity forgotten. Professor McGonagall was sobbing harder even than Wood, wiping her eyes with an enormous Gryffindor flag; and there, fighting their way toward Harry, were Ron and Hermione. Words failed them. They simply beamed as Harry was borne toward the stands, where Dumbledore stood waiting with the enormous Quidditch Cup.

If only there had been a Dementor around... As a sobbing Wood passed Harry the Cup, as he lifted it into the air, Harry felt he could have produced the world's best Patronus.

Skazzy, however, couldn't get the image out of her mind of her brother almost being crushed by the two Beaters, and playing chicken with all the Slytherins. Amity came over to her as the Gryffindors all went to the tower to celebrate.

"He's fine, he's okay, you can breathe," Amity said, trying to calm her down.

"But that was stupid and he could have been hurt and..." Skazzy babbled, adrenaline still coursing through her veins.

"You need to calm down, rest. Take a break," Amity soothed.

"I need a potion," Skazzy said without thinking, feeling the urge to take the potion and sleep like the dead and wake up and decide this was a bad dream.

"Absolutely not," Amity said, face paling. Skazzy blinked, wondering at the drastic change before her words entered her brain.

"I won't, I won't. It would just be easier," Skazzy attempted to back track.

"We're Hufflepuffs, we don't settle for easy," Amity said, and marched Skazzy back to the Hufflepuff common room where she tried to distract Skazzy from the game.

* * *

Remus Lupin sighed as he stepped into his office. Harry played quidditch an awful lot like his father. Lily would have been terrified if she had seen this game. She probably would have tried to ban Harry from playing quidditch. It wasn't fair that he was the only one able to see Harry play. Again he cursed Black for destroying everything.

He glanced at the Map, which he usually kept open when he was in his office. He owed it to Harry and Skazzy, and the other students, to make sure Black didn't come in. He only wished that the Map extended to the Forbidden Forrest, but they hadn't added that. Hagrid said that the centaurs and his friend Aragog, who ever that was, said that they hadn't seen Sirius Black. But the Forrest was huge, and close to the castle, and Black would know that even if someone had the map he wouldn't be found there.

He smiled as he saw Harry's dot smashed with all the Gryffindor student dots. After that game, they deserved to celebrate. And no, he wasn't being biased towards his own house. Slytherin had played a horrible game. Dumbledore had given them two weeks detention with Filch, which Severus couldn't argue with because his students had played dirty and intended to from the start. McGonagall would have to inform the twins of their point loss and detention for responding in kind, but she would let them have today.

He looked for Skazzy's dot, relishing in the fact that it didn't use her nickname, that it read Phoenix Potter so he could pretend for a little while that Skazzy's life hadn't happened the way it did and she bore her name proudly, or would allow more people to use the nickname her friend Amity used without glaring at them.

She was sitting with her friend, Amity. He wondered if she would stop being angry at him. In class, she only answered when called on, never spoke more than she needed and always with a bite and a mocking sir, and made it clear to her classmates that he had done something and she wasn't forgiving him for it. He had seen Dumbledore's eyes on him at meals when Skazzy made it a point to ignore him, and knew that eventually he would have to tell Dumbledore everything. But for now, he wanted to remember the better days, when he had friends and hope for the future.

* * *

Skazzy soon calmed down long enough to remember she told the dog she was going to meet it. She tried to come up with an excuse to get away from Amity, but it wasn't working. Amity was sticking to her like glue. Finally, she just told Amity what she was planning and went to the humped back witch to retrieve the invisibility cloak. Amity, not seeing Heidi around and knowing that Skazzy would find a way even if someone was told, informed Skazzy she was coming too.

And then she asked about the dog, since this was the first time she was hearing about a dog. Skazzy filled her in and she became a lot more nervous than her friend. She tried to tell Skazzy that dogs aren't that smart, even in the magical world, but Skazzy brought out her best weapon.

"I trust that he doesn't have any bad intentions towards me and my brother," Skazzy said, a little harassed from Amity's questions.

"You don't trust people. Why do you trust a dog that doesn't act like one?" Amity asked, skeptical. She felt a little weird with their normal roles reversed, but no way was she letting Skazzy out of her sight so she could do something stupid while someone who wanted to kill her brother was on the run.

Skazzy hesitated, looking vulnerable for one of the few times Amity could remember. "You know how I fell when the Dementors came? I think the dog saved me from falling out of the bleachers. I had been talking to it, then the Dementors, and then boom, I'm falling and it grabs me with his teeth. And at Christmas, I don't know why I was outside, I don't know what happened, but I vaguely remember seeing the dog, and Harry said that they opened the back door after hearing a dog scratching at it. So, the logical conclusion is the dog has saved my life at least twice, when it could have let me die. That's why I trust it," Skazzy answered, leaving out the part about a strange man who also appeared sometimes around the dog if her memory could be trusted. Unfortunately since both times she thought she saw a man she was under influence and not in her right mind, she couldn't trust those memories. But there was something lurking in the back of her head, something about the dog and the man and something she knew but didn't remember yet. And her pride wouldn't let her tell anyone about it until she was absolutely sure of what ever it was she was vaguely thinking. If nobody knew what she was thinking and she was wrong, no one could make fun of her for it.

Amity accepted her reasoning, telling herself that from that perspective it made sense.

So, the two of them went under the invisibility cloak to the edge of the Forbidden Forrest to see if the dog was there. It was. Skazzy took the invisibility cloak off, leaving it on Amity as they had agreed, and entered it's field of sight.

The dog barked, and Amity got the impression that it was trying to admonish Skazzy. Clearly the dog didn't know her that well if it thought Skazzy would care. Skazzy shook her head, and followed the dog further into the woods. Amity moved silently, keeping them in sight and hoping the dog hadn't decided that tonight was the night it killed Skazzy.

They stopped in a little clearing, and Amity breathed a soft sigh of relief. It was unlikely they would get in trouble here. Well, animal trouble. Teacher trouble was an entirely different thing.

"Alright dog, let's get this all figured out. You don't want to hurt my brother," Skazzy asked, while Amity rolled her eyes. Typical first question.

The dog bark and nodded it's head once, tongue hanging out.

"Would you protect my brother?" came the predicted second question.

The dog barked affirmative again, and then settled it's head on Skazzy's lap.

"I don't know what that means, you'll protect my brother, and you want to be my pet dog?" Skazzy guessed, oblivious to what Amity thought was an obvious 'and protect you too'. The dog seemed to be on the same wavelength as Amity, shaking it's head, and then pawing at Skazzy's chest. Amity prepared to rescue Skazzy since it looked like the dog was attacking since it was misunderstood, but Skazzy pulled out her phoenix necklace. "How did you know about this? Do you know who sent it?"

The dog nodded, not leaving Skazzy's leg. "Does the person who sent this have any evil inclinations to my brother?"

The dog shook its head. To Amity, it looked as if the dog was exasperated with Skazzy, that she was missing the obvious.

"So, you aren't here to hurt my brother, you want to protect him, you don't want to be my pet," at this, the dog barked and shook its head again. "Now you are being confusing. You would like to be my pet, but can't, and you know the person who bought this, and probably the firebolt, and he doesn't mean any harm to my brother," Skazzy summed up. Amity startled at the admission that she hadn't bought the firebolt. It probably should have been checked for curses then, why had she… right. She had just gotten out of St. Mungo's, and was probably not really aware of what was going on and not thinking.

The dog continued to look at Skazzy in anticipation of something. Skazzy looked at it confused.

"What? What did I forget? The rat? The cat? What!" Skazzy asked, getting defensive as the dog looked at her reprovingly. Amity wondered what Skazzy meant by the rat and the cat, but to her it was clear what the dog wanted her to get. The dog glanced over to where she was and back to Skazzy.

 _Dogs have a better sense of smell than humans,_ Amity groaned to herself as she took off the cloak. Skazzy looked at her in surprise.

"The dog wants to protect you too," Amity said, scratching the dog behind its ears. The dog barked and rolled its tongue out of its mouth, panting.

"How is that important?" Skazzy asked, honestly confused. Before Amity could even do or say anything the dog had pounced on Skazzy and knocked her down, before lying on top of her. "Amity?"

"Your life is important too, and the dog clearly places you and Harry at the same level for needing protection. And I think it's a little shocked that you, ah, don't," Amity answered, choosing her words carefully. She didn't want to set Skazzy off, not in the forest. Even if she now believed that the dog, or whatever it was, really did care about Skazzy. It was now licking Skazzy's face before its ears perked and he looked towards the castle. It got off Skazzy and once she got up started pushing her towards the castle. "Now he's saying time to go."

"I wonder why?" Skazzy said, going to throw the cloak on the two of them. The dog shook his head, and indicated Amity's satchel. "Dog, we need to be invisible to not get in trouble."

"Phoenix! Amity!" came a faint voice both recognized as their Defense professor. Skazzy scowled.

"He just doesn't know when to leave well enough alone," she muttered. "Who cares if he can't find us. He won't get us in trouble, he'll get in trouble."

"So there is a real reason you're mad at Professor Lupin," Amity said, slightly surprised. "We thought you had decided...never mind."

Skazzy threw the cloak on despite the dog's pleas. The dog growled a bit, and pulled it off. "Hey, we'll get in trouble without this, okay? Why can't we wear it?"

"PHOENIX! AMITY!" the voice was closer now, and Amity could detect the panic. The dog backed away into the forest but silently growled whenever Skazzy tried to put the cloak back on.

"What's the dog's problem?" Skazzy whispered, ducking behind a tree so the dog couldn't see her put the cloak on.

"Well, the professor does sound concerned..." Amity reluctantly pointed out. Skazzy snarled, almost matching the face the dog had made.

"He'll live. If he sees us, we'll get in trouble," Skazzy said, slipping the cloak over Amity.

"We are breaking the rules," Amity reminded her.

"Don't care. Wonder why the dog took off?" the two of them had reentered the clearing and the dog was nowhere to be found.

"Maybe because he knows the professor is a werewolf," Amity answered, distracted by her desire to not get in trouble and not cause the professor undue worry.

"Come again?" Skazzy whispered, stopping and forcing Amity to look back at her.

"Is now really the time?" Amity distracted Skazzy, who nodded. They slowly made their way out of the Forrest, and could see Professor Lupin. He looked frantic with worry, searching every bush and place something could be hidden. Amity made a move towards him, feeling sorry for the desperate professor, but Skazzy wouldn't be deterred. She made a beeline to the castle, and they managed to make it back to Hufflepuff dorm without running into anyone. Well, they ran into Crookshanks, who slipped under the cloak, hissed at Skazzy, and then swiped his claws against her ankle. But they did not run into anyone who could give them detention. The two girls agreed to discuss everything tomorrow, but for now they needed to sleep.

"I bet Professor Lupin will be mad at us, and how did he even know we were gone?" Amity said drowsily.

"I bet he won't get us into trouble," Skazzy muttered. Amity shook her head and went to sleep. It took Skazzy a little longer.

* * *

Remus had spent enough time grading papers, and it was getting to be time for people to sleep. He did his last check of the Map, searching for Black's name, and while he was searching the grounds, he noticed the dot title 'Phoenix Potter' vanished off the map into the Forbidden Forrest. His heart stopped. Then Amity Fear disappeared too.

Remus took off running, hoping that he could find them before something bad happened, or Black found them. He had a responsibility for the kids, and he wanted to at least get Skazzy to respect, if not like, him by the end of the year.

It took him far too long to get from his office to the woods, cursing the fact that you couldn't apparate at Hogwarts. His mind had come up with several possible unpleasant scenarios by the time he was close enough to where they disappeared that he could start yelling. He thought he heard some voices a little ways into the forrest, but the voices were too low for him to catch. He entered into a clearing that had clearly been used recently based on the fact that all the grass had been treaded into the ground. He stopped, sat down and took out the map, not sure what he was hoping for.

Only to notice that Amity and Phoenix's dots were half way to the castle. Remus wanted to curse. How had he screwed up so bad with Phoenix? That she was more concerned with not getting in trouble, or just not concerned about the fact he had been panicking that she had avoided him and allowed him to worry himself sick.

"James and Lily would be so disappointed," Remus mumbled to himself. "Phoenix hates me, and I'm not sure I have any good reason for her not to. I just want to keep them both safe, why do I keep failing with her?"

He turned back to the castle, pondering how he could try and repair his relationship with his goddaughter. He didn't notice the blue eyes staring out at him in shock.

* * *

Remus hadn't aged well, not that Sirius had either, but he couldn't remember the last time Remus had looked so, so, broken. And because of Phoenix, no less. The smiling babe who laughed and giggled, who had loved being held by Remus over James, his goddaughter. Did she know Remus was her godfather? It would make sense for people to not tell Harry given the lies people believed about him, but why not tell Phoenix about her connection to the werewolf?

What did Phoenix do? And why did she do it? And how could she make Remus feel like it was his fault. Remus already had a hard life to live.

He would need to get Phoenix to apologize to Remus. Or at least allow him in her life. If Sirius couldn't be there for the two Potters, then Remus needed to. They owed it to James and Lily.

And why did Phoenix not realize her life was just as important as Harry's? She didn't believe that Harry being the Boy-Who-Lived made him somehow more important than her, did she? Did anyone else notice that? Besides the other girl? He was proud that Phoenix had brought a friend, and didn't trust him completely, although one of them should have realized he had a better sense of smell as a dog. But now he was concerned that it hadn't been Phoenix being smart, but her friend being insistent.

Lily and James would be heartbroken watching their youngest. She wasn't suppose to be like this.


	15. We Need Another Cloak

disclaim: Don't own recognizable things, or English words.

TRIGGER: brief mention of meal skipping, addiction, and brief suicidal ideation

* * *

Agent Valkyrie was glaring at the piece of paper in her hand. Just more evidence that the Ministry of Magic was a useless organization that was only in place so people could pretend they were safe. Sirius Black had had no trial. Not one. Just up and placed in Azkaban.

While Agent Valkyrie didn't really care one way or the other about whether he was guilty, she did believe in justice for everyone. Or rather, she believed that everyone should pay for their sins. Like that scab who was responsible for the Time-Turner. The scab would pay. As soon as she got permission to confront him. Stupid rules regarding scabs and actual agents. All the more reason the Department should go solo. But those thoughts are why she isn't the head of the Department, just a committee.

She was angry that there had been many sham trials, many people using the excuse that 'they were under the Imperius'. That meant you were a weak wizard unable to throw it off. After many times being placed under the curse, you grew a resistance to it. You would be able to throw it off, for at least a few minutes, enough to inform a family member or something. No, the only people able to use that excuse never even knew they needed it. It was the occasional people who were forced to do something horrendous and forget. Any strong wizard, and the purebloods who sided with Voldemort believed they were strong, would not have been kept under an Imperius for more than three weeks continuously.

And there was plenty of evidence of all of those who 'suffered' from the Imperius had been acting for weeks at a time. And getting a dark mark. No one would be fool enough to mark an Imperiused person as working for them. If they ever managed to break free, well, they would know where to go, what you were planning. But money spoke louder than words.

At least she had managed to tie her brother's finances up to prevent him from getting off. No, after he killed her first boyfriend in those early years, Agent Valkyrie knew she would never let him have peace. It was just fortunate she was able to, _help_ , the justice process along in that respect. And she enjoyed lording it over him every year in Azkaban. Pleasant memories.

One day, she would make every Death Eater pay, but for now, she needed to figure out what the significance of Sirius Black and his lack of trial had to do with events in the Room.

Why had they even asked for it?

As for her other experiment, it seems repeated use of a Time-Turner of a girl going through puberty has a detrimental effect on her health. She would need a mind healer.

One problem at a time though. Girl with Time-Turner out of reach, Sirius Black trial records non-existent…

Agent Valkyrie scheduled a meeting with the Big Boss, Agent Phantom (who used to be known as Agent Rock Squirrel until elected/assigned the position of Big Boss and its agent name) for the next day. The possibilities that come with miscarriage of justice. Wonder how many annoying people Agent Valkyrie would be allowed to attempt to dethrone.

Deryn Fear's smile would have scared her daughter had she seen it.

* * *

The Room of Time had been well, quiet. There was a lot of staring at the pieces of information, trying to piece together everything. No trial for Sirius Black, although they had an assurance someone was looking into it. They had a more accurate version of the last year at Hogwarts, as a member of the Committee on Time had a child who was there. But records on the Potters…

Rumor was he killed a professor his first year, and underlying that was that the professor had Voldemort attached to him. Not many people believed it, so they were going to assume it was true. Anything about the Potters' home life was impossible to get, although an Agent Valkyrie said she might be able to do something about that.

The quill started to move, and the two Unspeakables became very confused.

Happened: Deryn Fear develops plans to oppose Albus Dumbledore.

Should: Deryn Fear avoids all contact with Albus Dumbledore

"Now the mother is involved?" the younger Unspeakable complained.

"Well, Amity Fear is much more involved in this timeline. Do we know what Deryn Fear does?" the older Unspeakable asked, looking through Amity's background pile.

"Attorney at Dearborn, Orpington, and Markham," the younger one said, pulling the piece of paper out of the pile. The elder Unspeakable groaned. "What?"

"That's one of the codes for actual Department of Mysteries agents," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh..." the younger one said. "What does that mean?"

"I should have retired last year," the elder Unspeakable lamented.

* * *

The next morning, Skazzy pulled Amity aside before they entered the Great Hall.

"Let's not discuss what we did last night, alright?" Skazzy said quietly, her eye wandering to make sure they weren't overheard. Amity looked surprised.

"Won't your brother want to know?" she asked, keeping her voice down as well.

"I don't, I don't think he needs to know," Skazzy admitted, stuttering a bit.

"Doesn't he deserve to know some dog has been saving your life and watching him?" Amity asked.

"He thinks the dog is a grim, and thanks to the crazy Divination professor thinks that it means he's going to die. It will just freak him out to know that the dog _has_ been here and that I've seen it," Skazzy replied. Amity glanced at her friend for a minute.

"You know, he'll be upset you didn't tell him if it comes out," she pointed out.

"Well, I'm trying to make sure it doesn't come out," Skazzy bit back.

"And if you fail?" Amity asked, face neutral as she thought about other things that had gotten out to her brother that Skazzy had apparently not wanted him to know.

Skazzy closed her eyes, and for one of the very few times in her life appeared vulnerable to someone not her brother. "I know. But I think him knowing now will be worse. He'll just keep worrying about it."

Amity watched as her friend composed herself and put a smile on.

"Well, let's tell Harry he did great yesterday," Skazzy said, acting normal. Amity sighed as she followed the girl into the Great Hall and to the Gryffindor table that was riding high from their win.

"Think we can get revenge on the Slytherins?" Skazzy asked, as she recalled the entire event that had occurred yesterday.

"No. None of the Slytherins in our year did anything," Amity replied, creating a plate of breakfast for herself, Skazzy and Hermione who had apparently not had a good night sleep and was unaware that she was out of food. She kept moving her fork around the plate without looking up from her book.

"So, the Slytherins on the team we can get revenge on," Skazzy clarified, glaring at the plate of food even as her brother added more food to it and poured her drink for her. He was still worried that she would add some kind of potion to her drink if allowed to get it herself.

"You don't know the Slytherins in our year or even who is on our team, how can you know the Slytherins on the team? No. No revenge. Harry, help?" Amity said, rubbing her eyes as Skazzy frowned.

"What?"

"Tell Nixie no, she can't get revenge on the Slytherin team," Amity repeated herself.

"Not worth it Skaz. We won!" Harry agreed, holding eye contact with his sister. She kept it for a few seconds before sighing and stabbing her meal.

"Absolutely worth it," She muttered. Amity glared at her and began eating her breakfast. Amity felt the eyes of someone at the high table on her, and cautiously glanced over. Professor Lupin was watching her and Nixie, with a strange look.

Amity was aware of Nixie's...intense dislike of the professor, to the point of flat out glaring at the professor whenever he tried to talk to her. She didn't know Nixie's reasoning, if she even had a reason, but there was definitely something weird in the way he was staring at Nixie. None of the other professors did that, except Professor Sprout after Christmas, but that made sense.

Defense was probably not going to be pretty.

Defense was not pretty. Amity had acquiesced to Skazzy, and they were sitting in the back of the room. Ginny, who usually sat next to them in the front frowned, but followed them anyway.

"What's up?" she asked Amity, not wanting to have Skazzy glare at her all through class.

"Nixie is convinced the professor has a diabolical plan against her," Amity relayed, being as truth as she could while still holding Skazzy's confidence.

"I thought that was the Slytherins," Ginny said, turning around. Skazzy blinked at that and turned to Amity.

"I told you that I should take revenge on them. Call it a preemptive strike," she said. Amity groaned and put her head in her hands.

"Ginny, don't encourage her," she mumbled, and then class began.

It was odd for Ginny and Amity to be sitting in the back of the room, and they felt awkward. Mostly because they could see that Skazzy was doodling instead of taking notes, and, well, they were a little disturbed.

"Skazzy, class time is no time for drawing," Professor Lupin said from the front of the room. "Now bring it up and sit in the front so I can make sure you are taking notes."

Skazzy scowled, gathered her things and sat in front. Colin and Aria, one of the Hufflepuff girls moved away from the girl emitting darkness. "Technically it was related to this class."

Professor Lupin stared at her, before looking at the picture. Ginny and Amity were surprised he hadn't blanched. Ginny decided that she spent too much time with the crazy girl who was friends with her brother and her crush, but it didn't look like she could do anything about it.

"Yes, well, that is one way to protect yourself if you find yourself facing multiple opponents, but do you often carry a knife on you?" Professor Lupin asked, swallowing. She had drawn three figures, two overweight, one skinny. The skinny one and the smaller fat one had simple stab wounds, a slit throat. It was the fourth figure over the larger man with a manic smile and torturing the man who no longer had any hands.

"Potions," came the glib reply.

"That knife...never mind, we'll continue with the lesson," Professor Lupin told the class, deciding he didn't want to deal with such a morbid topic with people so young. He periodically checked to make sure that Phoenix wasn't drawing anymore disturbing pictures. She kept her head focused on her paper and was furiously writing things down.

Eventually class ended and everyone headed towards the door.

"Miss Potter? Miss Fear? If you could stay a moment," the professor said. Both knew it wasn't a request but a demand.

"I noticed that you were out of bounds last night," he began, before Skazzy cut in.

"I'm pretty sure that if you found us out of bounds last night, we'd have a detention," Skazzy said, disdain in her voice.

"You know what I am talking about, and I think..."

"What you think is irrelevant. If I did what the teachers wanted me to do all the time, I wouldn't be me," Skazzy answered.

"Nixie, you barely do what they ask some of the time," Amity pointed out.

"Minor detail," Skazzy dismissed her statement.

"With Black..." Professor Lupin started again.

"Able to get into the castle somehow, well, no where is safe, is it?" Skazzy retorted.

"The Forbidden Forest is dangerous," Professor Lupin was beginning to lose his patience with Phoenix. He had let her get away with too much leeway in his class because of his relationship to her. Clearly, she needed an adult to help her.

"Which is why we don't go there," Skazzy answered, crossing her arms.

"It would make me feel better if..."

"I don't care what would make you feel better. You are just my teacher. No one else is doing anything like this to me," Skazzy said, a fire burning in her eye.

"Ok, I think it's best if we leave now, professor," Amity said dragging her friend out the door.

"Detention from after dinner until curfew for the rest of the week, Skazzy. And thirty points from Hufflepuff," Professor Lupin called out. He got a rude sign in return before Amity managed to drag her away.

* * *

Remus watched the two girls go away. That had not gone as planned. He hadn't expected her to be defensive from the start, or taunt him with the fact that his only evidence was something he hadn't turned in. Next full moon, he'd give it to Dumbledore. Until then, someone had to watch Phoenix since she didn't seem to care about herself. Although he was surprised that Amity had been with her, and still wanted to know what they had been up to. Maybe he'd get her to talk to him in detention.

Before his next class came in, he noticed someone had left a parchment of notes on the table. He picked it up to see if there was a name on it.

It wasn't signed, but it was easy to tell who had written it. It was a detailed description of the image she had drawn.

"She needs help," Remus breathed out. He just wasn't sure he would be able to help her. Or who would.

* * *

Professor Binns did not glance at Skazzy or Amity when they came in, further adding to the theory that Binns was only doing preprogrammed lectures. Skazzy dropped into a seat in the back, still angry at Professor Lupin. At least history wasn't important so she was allowed to brood over professors who didn't know when to back off, who were hypocrites, and apparently werewolves.

Even without Amity's reproving glances as she took notes, Skazzy knew that she had crossed the line with the professor, so decided that she would just not speak at all during the horrendously long detentions she had. It was for the best.

She'd just have to figure out how to get a message to the dog for another meet up. Crookshanks?

She was roused out of her thoughts by Amity giving her a hard tug. She got up and followed Amity out of the classroom, but instead of going towards the Great Hall for lunch, she found a secluded hallway.

"The hell was that?" Amity asked. "That's not your normal 'I don't give a damn', you hate him."

"I wouldn't say hate, dislike? Hate has different requirements and he hasn't reached them yet," Skazzy answered, actually thinking. Voldemort, Uncle Vernon, the rest of the people who happened to share her blood and were not Harry, and Piers. Sirius was still on the edge, what with the saving her life thing. They fulfilled the requirements of hate. Professor Lupin was heading there, but had one thing going for him: he was Harry's favorite teacher.

"What sparked the response? And last night?" Amity pressed. Skazzy frowned.

"He's pissed me off before acting all high and mighty cause he's a professor, then acts like a hypocrite," Skazzy answered, without mentioning the map and her yelling at the professor then. "I don't know, sometimes it builds up. Madam Pomfrey said the potion messed with my already small ability to handle my emotions, and I have to wait until my emotions will settle down, since I'm no longer using dreamless sleep to push off dealing with them. Professor Lupin just happens to be my trigger. What are the rules on calming..." Skazzy started to ask.

"No." Amity said. Skazzy looked at her and sighed.

"Yeah, I figured. Maybe I'll apologize at the end of the year," Skazzy shrugged.

"And I'm a Gryffindor," Amity said dryly. They started walking towards lunch.

Skazzy had not managed to keep Harry from finding out about her detentions, and his disappointed look cut through her. She swore to him that she wouldn't speak, and instead imagine that there would be unicorns and fairies around her. Amity then pointed out that she'd probably anger the fairies, and possibly the unicorns.

Despite her attempts at stopping time, which everyone found amusing since she just blew things up, it was time for her first detention. She debated whether to skip it or not, but clearly her brother knew her too well and had decided to make sure she went.

They walked in quiet, before Harry checked to see if anyone was around.

"We need to talk," Harry said seriously, his face falling into the familiar 'Dursley Time' look. Skazzy ran her hands through her hair.

"I just, I don't. I can handle it," Skazzy defended herself, without any real vigor.

"Is this like you not telling me that Hogwarts isn't as fun for you?" Harry asked, recalling an earlier conversation that year.

"No. It's more serious, but, not here, not now," Skazzy begged.

"It has to be soon, I haven't pushed, but your broken arm..." Harry faded off.

"After exams, I don't," Skazzy winced as she said the words she hadn't been meaning to say.

"You don't want me to worry? But let you worry all on your own? Be a lousy older brother," Harry said, eyes flicking to her scar.

"Hey, I said I'd take the sword. It's my fault. Well, the basilisk or Tom Riddle, take your pick. Not you," Skazzy said, trying to comfort him. She hadn't known it was bothering him that much.

"But if I hadn't let you go in there..." Harry started. Skazzy grinned.

"Since when have you ever stopped me?" she asked, and Harry cracked a small smile. He drew her into a hug.

"I just feel as if I'm losing you, and I have no idea why," he whispered in her ear. Skazzy just gripped him harder.

"I'm trying," she whispered back, blinking back tears from her good eye.

Harry let her go and continued walking to the professor's classroom.

"It's just, I don't know how," Skazzy whispered to herself before catching up to her brother.

"So let's start with the professor. Don't antagonize him," Harry said, his smile not reaching his eyes.

"I'll do my best," Skazzy answered as the came in front of the door.

"Ah, Skazzy, Harry, right on time," Professor Lupin said, opening the door.

"I thought it was just me?" Skazzy asked, confused. Professor Lupin's face froze for a second before he continued talking.

"Right, I forgot this wasn't one of our extra sessions," Professor Lupin replied.

"See you Skaz," Harry said, before walking away. Skazzy sighed and walked into the classroom.

"So, this isn't potions so I won't clean cauldrons, this isn't with what's his face, so it isn't cleaning the castle," Skazzy began.

"Mr. Filch," Professor Lupin supplied. Skazzy waved her hand. She didn't actually care what his name was.

"Not Herbology, so no planting and deplanting. What am I going to be doing?" Skazzy asked, wanting to get this over with.

"Your homework. Think of it as a block of supervised time for homework," Professor Lupin answered, going up to his desk and indicating Skazzy should sit in the front row.

"My homework time is...okay," Skazzy started, before remembering her promise to her brother.

"Feel free to ask any questions," Professor Lupin said. "I was a student here once."

Skazzy nodded, and pulled out her homework. Tomorrow, she'd bring the appeal stuff. An entire evening dedicated solely to saving a hippogriff she'd never met supervised by a professor she disliked. Something was getting even with her. Sooner or later she'd figure out what, and fix it.

* * *

Remus watched as Phoenix took out her books and started working. She went through History, Herbology, Potions, Astronomy, Transfiguration, and Defense well before the time was up. She hadn't spoken to him once, and he still wanted, no, _needed_ , to ask her about earlier. He was her teacher, her father's friend, and her godfather. Even if those didn't matter to her, they mattered to him.

"The image you drew in class today was inappropriate," he started, hoping she'd open up to him.

"Okay," Phoenix answered. Not the response he was hoping for.

"It concerns me, as your teacher," he tried again.

"I won't show you any more drawings," came the reply.

"That's not the problem. The fact that you drew those images, and wrote that thing you left on the desk," Remus started.

"Oops, I meant to keep that," Phoenix said, a guilty look crossing her face before it was back to her normal 'I don't care' face.

"It's not a healthy way to deal with things," Remus soldiered on.

"I have already gotten the 'try and deal with your problems in a healthy way' speech from Madam Pomfrey. She told me images were fine," Phoenix replied, sounding bored as her eyes wandered to the clock.

"I don't believe she meant pictures like this," Remus said dryly. "Talking should help."

"I'll do my best to find someone to talk to," Phoenix replied. Remus winced. He had meant himself.

"I'm willing to listen," Remus offered, hoping she would take him up on it.

"Nope, no thanks," came her answer.

"Why not?" Remus asked, frustrated a bit that she was being so stubborn.

"I don't trust you," Phoenix said point blank. Remus stared.

"How could I get you to trust me, since being a teacher doesn't seem to help?" Remus asked. He really wanted this to work out. He missed his goddaughter and her laugh and smile, and this girl, this scarred girl who had disturbing fantasies was so unlike her and he didn't know what to do."

Phoenix paused for a moment, eyeing the clock. She began to pack her bag, and head out the door. She turned to face him one last time.

"I don't think you can."

With that she was gone, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts, and heartache that someone who used to be so open had grown up into someone hard. Damn Black. This was all his fault.

* * *

Despite the fact that the weather outside was gorgeous, all the students were stuck studying for exams. Skazzy had taken over most of the appeal work, since she had no distractions during her detentions with Professor Lupin. After the first day, he had given up on her starting a conversation with her. She decided that she would take it as a win. She heard from Harry that even Fred and George were taking the O. seriously. Percy was being Percy, which meant little to Skazzy, and Hermione was even crazier, which did mean something to Skazzy.

Harry and Ron had told Skazzy they had given up asking her how she was managing to attend several classes at once, and weren't going to bother with asking about her exams. Skazzy shrugged while Amity checked off the classes she was going to take next year by watching Hermione.

"I think I'll go with Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy. Divination is out, and you all seem to enjoy Care of Magical Creatures, and Hermione enjoys Arithmancy. What about you, Nixie?" she asked while they had forced Hermione to take a break and were going to see Hagrid.

"What are my options?" Skazzy asked, having been too busy to look at the list.

"Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, Muggle Studies, Arithmancy and Ancient Runes," Amity said.

"Right, well someone told me I'm liable to piss a creature off and get killed, so we can't have that on Hagrid's watch, Divination is out. Muggle Studies sounds stupid for me," Skazzy ran through the list.

"But it's fascinating to study from a wizard's perspective..." Hermione interjected, her hair wilder than usual.

"But boring. So, guess that means Arithmancy and Ancient Runes," Skazzy shrugged.

Everyone stared at her.

"Those are hard. Do you even know what they're about?" Ron asked, surprised.

"No, I think that's what class is for," Skazzy said dryly. "One class is possible death by animal, another is death by boredom, and divination."

"Fair enough," Harry said as he knocked on Hagrid's door.

"Beaky's gettin' a bit depressed," Hagrid told them, bending low on the pretense of checking that Harry's flobberworm was still alive. "Bin cooped up too long. But still... we'll know day after tomorrow — one way or the other —"

They had to split after a nice half hour, as the third years had Potions exams that afternoon while the second years had history.

"I'm dropping this class the minute I can. This, and annoying late class," Skazzy muttered as they walked out the door. The other Hufflepuffs nodded.

"Does anyone even take History after they can drop it?" asked one of the boys. Everyone shuddered at the thought of an extra two years of History.

"Percy Weasley?" Skazzy hazard a guess. That got a laugh out of the class.

Herbology was Wednesday morning, and it was relatively simple, just moving mandrakes to bigger pots, and identifying random plants. In potions, all the Hufflepuffs were relieved because Professor Snape was breathing and hovering over Skazzy, since she was still on potion watch. Skazzy just went and made the potion, not even taking notice. After all, the potion was easier than dreamless sleep potion. Skazzy just hoped that they would be less observant next year. Not that she was planning anything. She just wanted to not be watched.

After the second year's last exam, Skazzy spent her time down by the Forbidden Forest. She was hoping the dog was still here, but more than that she needed to be alone. Amity meant well, but Skazzy didn't like to be watched 24/7.

Thursday morning, she happened to run into the dog. Or rather, the dog knocked her over.

"Hello to you too, dog. We were interrupted last time. So, you want to protect my brother, protect me, don't care about getting us in trouble," Skazzy started before the dog barked and gave her a reproachful look. "I don't speak dog! Mostly. You do care about getting us in trouble?"

The dog barked and panted. Skazzy just sighed and started petting the dog.

"Is it worth telling Harry? Not about you, I still have to retrain him. But… so this thing happened when he was off at Hogwarts for his first year, but I didn't want to tell him because I wanted to forget and the potions kept the nightmares away but I can't do those anymore. Although, not waking up… no, can't do that to Harry," Skazzy was thinking out loud, not noticing the dog begin to panic. She did notice when she ended up with a lap full of dog, with the dog staring at her. "What? I wouldn't...on purpose. It's just, life's shit, and then you die."

The dog shook its head. Skazzy smiled. "You're a dog, what do you know? Anyway, Harry wants me to tell him, but… I don't want to remember it at all. It would change things. I need life like this. I need this to be buried and forgotten. For now. Are you still after that rat?"

The dog panted, licking her face. Skazzy laughed a little. "What's so bad about a rat?"

The dog started to growl.

"I wish you could actually speak to explain this to me, but I should probably head up to lunch, or Heidi'll think I'm skipping meals again."

She gave the dog a final pat on the head and headed up to the castle.

* * *

Sirius watched her go. She felt more comfortable talking to a strange dog, that she had even admitted acted strange, than talk to people? Remus wasn't doing something right. He was supposed to be the adult she could turn to.

And he didn't like the fact that she wasn't thinking in terms of her, but her brother. Didn't want to worry him, wouldn't… he couldn't even think the words. She should want to live for herself. She may look similar to Lily, but her personality was all her own. He wished he could take the two Potters and lock them away from the world that was glorifying one, and ignoring the other.

He wished he hadn't trusted a rat with his life.

* * *

Skazzy managed to catch up to her brother and his friends and continue walking to the castle with them. Ron was getting a kick out of what Hermione's worst fear was. Apparently she was afraid of failing.

"Thing1 and thing2 around Malfoy have passed. I'm pretty sure that even at your stupidest you are smarter than them," Skazzy added. Harry hit the back of her head. "Come on, that was nice!"

"Nice from Skazzy," Hermione said, tears stopping as she smiled at Skazzy's poor choice of words.

To their surprise, the Minister of Magic, sweating slightly in his pinstriped cloak, was standing there staring out at the grounds. He started at the sight of Harry.

"Hello there, Harry!" he said. "Just had an exam, I expect? Nearly finished?"

"Yes," said Harry. Hermione and Ron, not being on speaking terms with the Minister of Magic, hovered awkwardly in the background. Skazzy took her favorite spot of standing to her brother's side and glaring.

"Lovely day," said Fudge, casting an eye over the lake to avoid staring at Skazzy. "Pity... pity..." He sighed deeply and looked down at Harry.

"I'm here on an unpleasant mission, Harry. The Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures required a witness to the execution of a mad Hippogriff. As I needed to visit Hogwarts to discuss some changes in the Black situation, I was asked to step in."

"Does that mean the appeal's already happened?" Ron interrupted, stepping forward. "No, no, it's scheduled for this afternoon," said Fudge, looking curiously at Ron.

"Then you might not have to witness an execution at all!" said Ron stoutly. "The Hippogriff might get off!"

Before Fudge could answer, two wizards came through the castle doors behind him. One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin back mustache. Skazzy was distracted by the axe that the younger man had. Wasn't that a little, archaic? He must just enjoy murdering things. She noted that he was not to be allowed near Harry ever. The very old wizard squinted toward Hagrid's cabin and said in a feeble voice, "Dear, dear, I'm getting too old for this... Two o'clock, isn't it, Fudge?"

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione nudged him hard in the ribs and jerked her head toward the entrance hall.

"Why'd you stop me?" said Ron angrily as they entered the Great Hall for lunch. "Did you see them? They've even got the axe ready! This isn't justice!"

"It's the Ministry," Skazzy inserted. Harry gave her another whack on the head. "Ow, I'm losing brain cells!"

"You weren't using them anyway," Harry bantered with her as Hermione continued talking to Ron.

"Ron, your dad works for the Ministry, you can't go saying things like that to his boss!" said Hermione, but she too looked very upset. "As long as Hagrid keeps his head this time, and argues his case properly, they can't possibly execute Buckbeak..."

"Are we...not the time," Skazzy said, looking around at Ron, Hermione and Harry. Hermione gave a watery smile.

"We'll teach you people skills yet," she said.

All around them, people were talking excitedly as they ate their lunch, happily anticipating the end of the exams that afternoon, but Harry, Ron, Skazzy, and Hermione, lost in worry about Hagrid and Buckbeak, didn't join in. Amity sat down at the table with a weird look on her face. When Ginny noticed that no one else was going to comment, she spoke up.

"I'll bite, what's up?"

"My Mum informed me that I'm to tell her if I see Sirius Black, and to keep him away from Ministry idiots and Professor Dumbledore," Amity said. The words Sirius Black managed to shake Harry and Skazzy from their thoughts.

"Why?" Skazzy asked her friend. "I thought that everyone knew he was awful..."

"Yeah, apparently he never had a trial. Mum said she is trying to get word to him that she's representing him pro-bono, but that the Minister is trying to cover it up and Professor Dumbledore is helping," Amity explained.

"Wait, so they put a creature that can't defend itself on trial, but not a person?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"But he did all those things..." Ron said, fading off.

"Innocent until proven guilty, Ron. It's one of our rights as British citizens. He deserves a fair trial," Hermione said, then looked guilty at the Potters. "Err...sorry?"

"Why would your mother take the case pro-bono?" Skazzy asked Amity. Amity shrugged, frustration plain on her face.

"I don't know, she's being really weird this year," Amity said.

The rest of lunch was a quiet affair.

"Are you going to do it?" Ron asked as they were getting ready to leave. Amity paused.

"Yeah, because what if…?"

"Someone's going to be mad," Harry observed. He still felt like he wanted to kill Black for everything he had allegedly done.

"I'm alive because of him," Skazzy whispered. Amity stared at her in horror while the trio remembered the conversation they overheard. "Why would he be listening?"

Amity dragged Skazzy off somewhere so that they could have a talk about where she had heard that. Harry, Ron and Hermione set off for their final exams, agreeing to meet up in the Great Hall after.

Amity turned to Skazzy. "Phoenix. Details. Now."

Skazzy sighed. "We overheard a few professors and the minister of magic talking about him. Hagrid said, Hagrid said he thought I was dead, and the only reason I was found was because Sirius Black found me."

"I don't get it," Amity said, frowning. "What does this mean?"

"That the man who supposedly took my parents from me saved my life? How screwed up is that?" Skazzy said bitterly.

"You left something out," Amity said. Skazzy scrunched up her face, before remembering.

"Oh, apparently he was my dad's best friend, and their secretkeeper, whatever that is. I forgot," Skazzy said, waving a hand dismissively.

"When did you find this out?" Amity asked, quite sure she would have noticed something that big effecting at least Harry.

"The...uh, Christmas," Skazzy said, remembering how she had been in a daze and… well.

"Oh," came Amity's quiet voice. The two of them spent a few minutes in quiet before heading to the Great Hall. Ron and Hermione were already there, so they were just waiting on Harry. Ron was holding a piece of paper in his hand.

"Buckbeak's lost," He said gloomily. Hermione was too upset to chastise Skazzy when she used inappropriate language. The four sat in quiet, waiting to share the news with Harry when Harry dashed down towards them.

"Professor Trelawney," Harry panted, "just told me..."

But he stopped abruptly at the sight of their faces.

"Buckbeak lost," said Ron weakly. "Hagrid's just sent this."

Hagrid's note was dry this time, no tears had splattered it, yet his hand seemed to have shaken so much as he wrote that it was hardly legible.

 _Lost appeal. They're going to execute at sunset. Nothing you can do. Don't come down. I don't want you to see it._

Hagrid

"We've got to go," said Harry at once. "He can't just sit there on his own, waiting for the executioner!"

"Sunset, though," said Ron, who was staring out the window ill a glazed sort of way. "We'd never be allowed..."

"Only if they saw us," Skazzy pointed out.

"If we only had the invisibility cloak..." Harry started.

"Where is it?" said Hermione.

Harry told her about leaving it in the passageway under the one-eyed witch, and the strange interaction with Professor Lupin that had prompted him to avoid the area.

"Oh, I grabbed it a few weeks ago," Skazzy said, rubbing the back of her head. "I totally meant to tell you that."

"We'll go get it, then after dinner we'll meet up," Amity said, mouth determined.

"Why meet up after dinner?" Skazzy asked as she followed Amity.

"Have you eaten with Hufflepuff today?"

"Damn."

They went down to dinner with everybody else. Skazzy had the cloak hidden down the front of her robes; luckily everyone at the table was used to her sulking. They skulked in an empty chamber off the entrance hall, listening, until they were sure it was deserted. They heard a last pair of people hurrying across the hall and a door slamming. Hermione poked her head around the door.

"Okay," she whispered, "no one there, cloak on..."

"Are we all going to fit?" Ron asked, looking at the cloak. They tried it on. It was a tight fit, and only worked because Harry hadn't hit his growth spurt.

"We're going to need another," Skazzy muttered.

Walking very close together so that nobody would see them, they crossed the hall on tiptoe beneath the cloak, then walked down the stone front steps into the grounds. The sun was already sinking behind the Forbidden Forest, gilding the top branches of the trees.

They reached Hagrid's cabin and knocked. He was a minute in answering, and when he did, he looked all around for his visitor, pale-faced and trembling.

"It's us," Harry hissed. "We're wearing the invisibility cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered, but he stood back, and they stepped inside. Hagrid shut the door quickly and Harry pulled off the cloak.

Hagrid was not crying, nor did he throw himself upon their necks. He looked like a man who did not know where he was or what to do. This helplessness was worse to watch than tears.

"Wan' some tea?" he said. His great hands were shaking as he reached for the kettle. "Where's Buckbeak, Hagrid?" said Hermione hesitantly.

"I, uh, I took him outside," said Hagrid, spilling milk all over the table as he filled up the jug. "He's tethered in me pumpkin patch. Thought he oughta see the trees an', an' smell fresh air, before..."

Hagrid's hand trembled so violently that the milk jug slipped from his grasp and shattered all over the floor.

"I'll do it, Hagrid," said Amity quickly, hurrying over and starting to clean up the mess.

"There's another one in the cupboard," Hagrid said, sitting down and wiping his forehead on his sleeve. Harry glanced at Hermione, Ron and Skazzy. Ron looked back hopelessly while Skazzy shrugged.

"Isn't there anything anyone can do, Hagrid?" Harry asked fiercely, sitting down next to him.

"How about he accidentally get's free? Not your fault he chews through his tether," Skazzy suggested

"Dumbledore..." Hermione tried

"He's tried," said Hagrid. "He's got no power ter overrule the Committee. He told 'em Buckbeak's all right, but they're scared... Yeh know what Lucius Malfoy's like... threatened 'em, I expect... an' the executioner, Macnair, he's an old pal o' Malfoy's... but it'll be quick an' clean... an' I'll be beside him..."

Hagrid swallowed. His eyes were darting all over the cabin as though looking for some shred of hope or comfort.

"Dumbledore's gonna come down while it, while it happens. Wrote me this mornin'. Said he wants ter, ter be with me. Great man, Dumbledore..."

Hermione stifled a sob, fighting tears while Amity brought the new milk jug to the table.

"We'll stay with you too, Hagrid," she began, but Hagrid shook his shaggy head.

"Yeh're ter go back up ter the castle. I told yeh, I don' wan' yeh watchin'. An' yeh shouldn' be down here anyway... If Fudge an' Dumbledore catch yeh out without permission, yeh'll be in big trouble."

"Why can't he escape?" Skazzy asked.

"I'm no' goin' leave him alone! And I though' we were goin' to have a chance, and losin' him now'd ge' me in trouble. An', where would he go?" Hagrid asked, hiccuping.

Silent tears were now streaming down Hermione's face, but she hid them from Hagrid, bustling around making tea. Then, as she picked up the milk bottle to pour some into the jug, she let out a shriek.

"Ron, I don't believe it! It's Scabbers!"

Ron gaped at her.

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione carried the milk jug over to the table and turned it upside down. With a frantic squeak, and much scrambling to get back inside, Scabbers the rat came sliding out onto the table.

"Scabbers!" said Ron blankly. "Scabbers, what are you doing here?"

He grabbed the struggling rat and held him up to the light. Scabbers looked dreadful. He was thinner than ever, large tufts of hair had fallen out leaving wide bald patches, and he writhed in Ron's hands as though desperate to free himself.

"It's okay, Scabbers!" said Ron. "No cats! There's nothing here to hurt you!"

"Huh. Guess the dog wasn't lying," Skazzy said, momentarily forgetting where she was.

"What dog?"

Hagrid suddenly stood up, his eyes fixed on the window. His normally ruddy face had gone the color of parchment.

"They're comin'..."

Everyone whipped around. A group of men was walking down the distant castle steps. In front was Albus Dumbledore, his silver beard gleaming in the dying sun. Next to him trotted Cornelius Fudge. Behind them came the feeble old Committee member and the executioner, Macnair.

"Yeh gotta go," said Hagrid. Every inch of him was trembling. "They mustn' find yeh here... Go now..."

Ron stuffed Scabbers into his pocket and Hermione picked up the cloak. "I'll let yeh out the back way," said Hagrid.

They followed him to the door into his back garden.

Hagrid turned to Harry, Ron, Amity, Skazzy and Hermione. "Go on," he said. "Get goin'."

But they didn't move.

"Hagrid, we can't..."

"We'll tell them what really happened..."

"They can't kill him..."

"Are you sure we can't free..."

"Go!" said Hagrid fiercely. "It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

They had no choice. As Hermione threw the cloak over everyone, they heard voices at the front of the cabin. Hagrid looked at the place where they had just vanished from sight.

"Go quick," he said hoarsely. "Don' listen..." And he strode back into his cabin as someone knocked at the front door.

Slowly, in a kind of horrified trance, the group set off silently around Hagrid's house. As they reached the other side, the front door closed with a sharp snap.

"Please, let's hurry," Hermione whispered. "I can't stand it, I can't bear it..."

They started up the sloping lawn toward the castle. The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged gray, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow.

Ron stopped dead.

"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione began.

"It's Scabbers. He won't, come on, stay put..."

Ron was bent over, trying to keep Scabbers in his pocket, but the rat was going berserk; squeaking madly, twisting and flailing, trying to sink his teeth into Ron's hand.

"Scabbers, it's me, you idiot, it's Ron," Ron hissed.

They heard a door open behind them and men's voices.

"Oh, Ron, please let's move, they're going to do it!" Hermione breathed.

"What did you say about a dog?" Harry asked his sister as Ron struggled with his missing pet.

"What dog?" Skazzy asked, playing innocent.

"This dog that you keep mentioning accidentally and then denying. Are you seeing the grim?" Harry asked.

"No, I am not seeing a grim," Skazzy answered honestly.

"She's just seeing a big black dog she's convinced has saved her life, acts strange for a dog, and apparently wants to protect both you and her and knows who sent the necklace and firebolt," Amity answered, tired of Skazzy's evasive answers.

"I thought you sent it," Harry asked Skazzy.

"No, I didn't, but I had no idea," Skazzy answered, scratching the back of her head.

They walked forward; Skazzy almost stopped moving, thinking she could see the dog. The dog was right about the rat being alive, so maybe...the rat really was dangerous. Ron stopped as well, distracting everyone.

"I can't hold him... Scabbers, shut up, everyone'll hear us..."

"He's a rat, won't they think they can't see him cause of the grass and blame some kind of wild animal for attacking it?" Skazzy hissed, trying to help Ron with his pet. "Let me grab it, maybe it has bad memories associated with you. Or you smell like cat."

The rat was squealing wildly, but not loudly enough to cover up the sounds drifting from Hagrid's garden. There was a jumble of indistinct male voices, a silence, and then, without warning, the unmistakable swish and thud of an axe.

Hermione swayed on the spot. "They did it!" she whispered. "I'd, I don't believe... They did it!"

* * *

In the Room Outside of Time, the quill began to move again.

"You know, it seems that something always happens at the end of the year," the younger Unspeakable said, watching as the quill scratched out its message.

"Let's hope it is not like last year," the elder one said. "I don't think I could take it."

"One basilisk at Hogwarts is one too many. There won't be a second."

And while that statement was true, the quill had decided to write the true ending before what was going on.

"Oh, this. Yeah, I wish it hadn't done this," the younger one agreed.

Should:

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley go to visit Rubeus Hagrid to offer comfort before his pet Hippogriff Buckbeak is to be killed. Inside, they notice Peter Pettigrew, hiding in his rat form known as Scabbers, and grab him. They walk outside, and are accosted by Sirius Black in dog form, go to the Shrieking Shack, discover the truth. Remus Lupin goes to confront his old friend, forgetting his potion and leaving the Marauder's Map open so that Severus Snape can see that Sirius Black is present. Severus Snape uses the invisibility cloak owned by Harry Potter to get in unseen, then attempts to detain Remus Lupin and Sirius Black for being in cahoots. He ignores Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger as they attempt to explain the truth. Severus Snape gets spelled unconscious by his students, and everyone prepares to go to Dumbledore to present the truth. Unfortunately, Remus Lupin becomes a werewolf, and in order to save the three kids, Peter Pettigrew goes free. Sirius Black becomes surrounded by Dementors, and Harry Potter attempts to save him. They pass out after the Dementors are pushed away. The three children are returned to the hospital wing while Sirius Black is left in a room with a window accessible by Hippogriff. Hermione Granger, at Albus Dumbledore's urging, uses her Time-Turner to bring her and Harry Potter back in time. During the second go round, Buckbeak is freed, Harry Potter saves himself and Sirius Black, and Sirius Black is set free to be on the run.

"Well, I don't want to be Harry Potter," said the younger Unspeakable.

The elder Unspeakable shushed him as the quill began to write

Happened:

Deryn Fear informs the Ministry of the lack of trial for Sirius Black and that she intends to fix this grievous error. The 'Kiss on Sight' order is rescinded, although Cornelius Fudge attempts to figure a way out of this with the help of Albus Dumbledore. Remus Lupin hands the Marauder's Map over to Dumbledore, who places it, not open, on his desk. Severus Snape gives Remus Lupin his potion, and retires to his room. Amity Fear, Phoenix Potter, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger go down to comfort Hagrid. They discover Peter Pettigrew in his rat form known as Scabbers. The five leave, when Phoenix Potter spots Sirius Black in dog form, and begins to think there is something wrong with Scabbers.

The quill hovered, indicating that the show wasn't over yet.

"This is massively different," the younger Unspeakable said.

"It means we need to hurry up," the elder one said.

Both sat waiting for the next quill strike on paper.

* * *

Time was not pleased. She understood that there were other forces at work preventing her people from fixing this problem, but she didn't want her sister to win. And this event, it cost her the other foot and the other hand.

* * *

AN: FOR THE RECORD, I do not hate Remus Lupin, it's just his attempts at helping rub Skazzy the wrong way. Skazzy can't like all the awesome people, that's not realistic. And I have now effectively diverged greatly from cannon third book. Let's see what happens!


	16. Skaz, What the Hell?

Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, but I live in hope.

Gearing up to the end. Of this book.

* * *

Fate focused on the land outside of a small hut and a castle in Scotland. This is where her changer was. Her pawn in the everlasting game against her sister. She hated her older sister. Time had always been the favorite. The All-Father granted Time more leeway than anyone else. Time was allowed to decide how time would go on the human world. She decided the one timeline.

But that was her job. She was Fate. She was suppose to have some influence on the life of the planet, but Time got there first. It wasn't fair, but no amount of complaining had convinced the All-Father to let her play with all the humans' fate. However, the All-Father couldn't stop her from giving to the people, giving them a gift to be outside of Time's reach for awhile.

It was that discovery that had lead to the current game she played with her sister. Time had created the way the timeline would go, taken Fate's job away from her before Fate had any chance to defend herself. Time claimed that Fate was useless, but Fate knew that Time was being a bully. Time had set in stone the way history would progress. But in so doing, locked herself to the one timeline.

Fate had learned that those few she could touch could unravel Time, break the timeline. If that happened, her sister would be gone and she would be able to play with the humans as she desired. Both knew that they would be playing this game for a long while, either until Time unraveled and Fate won, or Fate was forced to join the _others_ , those who directly disobeyed the All-Father.

She gave a few people a touch of the ability to break time, and Time gave the humans a room to allow them a fair chance to stop the unraveling.

One day Fate would win. After all, Fate was not bound to a single timeline like Time.

 _Yes_ she thought to herself as she watched her unknown minion throw wrenches in her sister's work. _Manipulating pieces to destroy Time while not breaking the directive to not interfere with humans directly was all very fun._

 _But life would be even greater if she could remake the world the way_ she _wanted too._

And all her sister had to protector herself was a Room she'd been allowed to give to humans, and a book of what she knows did, should, and will happen. Time's fate rested solely in the hands of beings she couldn't effect.

Fate continued to watch.

* * *

Skazzy's hands had gone slack with shock. The five of them stood transfixed with horror under the Invisibility Cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun were casting a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them, they heard a wild howling.

"Hagrid," Harry muttered. Without thinking about what he was doing, he made to turn back, but both Ron and Skazzy seized his arms.

"We can't," said Ron, who was paper-white. "He'll be in worse trouble if they know we've been to see him..."

Hermione's breathing was shallow and uneven.

"How — could — they?" she choked. "How could they?"

"Monsters," Amity said, tears running down her face.

"Come on," said Ron, whose teeth seemed to be chattering.

They set off back toward the castle, walking slowly to keep themselves hidden under the cloak. The light was fading fast now.

By the time they reached open ground, darkness was settling like a spell around them.

"Scabbers, keep still," Ron hissed, clamping his hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. Ron came to a sudden halt, trying to force Scabbers deeper into his pocket. "What's the matter with you, You stupid rat? Stay still — OUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione whispered urgently. "Fudge'll be out here in a minute..."

"He. Won't. Stay. Put."

Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip. Skazzy noticed Crookshanks trying to hid in the grass, to sneak up on Scabbers. Skazzy looked around. Everyone was focusing on Ron, so she ducked out the cloak, waved at Crookshanks. Crookshanks looked at her before turning and slinking away, but not before others noticed him.

"What's the matter with him?"

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No, go away, Crookshanks! Go away!" For the first time concerning Scabbers, Crookshanks listened. He backed away, although that did nothing to stop Scabbers from freaking out.

"Scabbers, NO!" Ron hissed.

It was too late. The rat had slipped between Ron's clutching fingers, hit the ground, and scampered away. Before anyone could stop her Skazzy ran after the Scabbers, while Crookshanks purred around the legs of the remaining four. Ron, after being stunned that Skazzy had run after Scabbers began to follow her.

"Ron!" Hermione moaned.

Skazzy was ignoring everything happening behind her. This rat, for some reason, held the answers to the dog, the cat, and this year. She would get the whole story out of the dog, and then complain that Harry's inquisitive friends were rubbing off on her too much.

She absolutely did not believe that she had a natural curiosity.

Finally she managed to dive and catch the rat. She looked at it with narrowed eyes. "You do not act like a normal rat."

Scabbers tried to bite her, but Skazzy retaliated by squeezing him.

* * *

Peter Pettigrew was screwed. Sirius was here, Remus was here, he had lived with a daily reminder of what he hadn't gained (fame, power, prestige, respect). When Phoenix, or Skazzy as he had heard Ron and Harry refer to her caught him, he attempted to bite her. Her reaction was to squeeze him harder. He instantly stopped, realizing that right now he was in the hands of someone dangerous. Right now, as far as she could tell, he was a rat. And if she was willing to kill her brother's best friend's rat, well…

It really wasn't looking good for Peter.

* * *

"Great, you got him. Can you hand him over?" Ron asked, relieved. The other three caught up to them, and tried to cover everyone with the cloak.

"Ron, Skazzy, come on back under the cloak" Hermione panted. "Dumbledore, the Minister, they'll be coming back out in a minute..."

But before they could cover themselves again, before they could even catch their breath, they heard the soft pounding of gigantic paws... Something was bounding toward them, quiet as a shadow — an enormous, pale-eyed, jet-black dog.

Harry reached for his wand, but too late. The dog had made an enormous leap and the front paws hit him on the chest; he keeled over backward in a whirl of hair; he felt its hot breath, saw inch-long teeth. And then he was being licked. Amity sighed.

"Harry, this is the dog your sister has decided to trust over humans," Amity said making introductions. The dog's grey eyes gleamed as it panted on top of Harry.

"And you thought it was a grim," Skazzy said, squeezing the rat even harder as it tried to escape. "See, just a nice, friendly, strange dog."

The dog got off Harry and sat down at Skazzy's feet, tail wagging and tongue out panting.

"Let's get some answers," Skazzy said, looking at the dog. "Is there a better place to do this? We are, uh, kinda out after curfew."

The dog barked and trotted off towards the Whomping Willow. Skazzy looked at the destination and shrugged. "Crazy tree it is."

Before Skazzy could start moving, Harry grabbed her arm. "We don't know anything about that dog. You can't just follow it!"

"I may not know its name, its gender, or how exactly it is a dog and isn't one at the same time. But I know two things. This dog saved me at that quidditch match, the dog is responsible for you finding me at Christmas, and..." Skazzy hesitated. There was a hazy image of a man, that she had determined to be from the Dementors at first, potions problems the second, but the dog had agreed there was a person, and some words came back to her. 'Don't take potions, you have to face things, had me worried Phoenix'. Someone who knew of her, but cared about her as more than Harry's little sister. She wasn't entirely sure how to deal with it, but in for a penny, in for a pound. "Look, I thought I was hallucinating both times, but I also remember a man. He was the one who took care of me while I was not noticed missing. He sent the pendant. I trust this dog because it hasn't done anything to completely change my opinion of anyone. It just… let's me be me? So I will give the dog a benefit of a doubt."

"Animagus," Hermione said, staring at the dog. "The dog might be an animagus."

"A whatit?" Skazzy asked, starting to follow the dog.

"An animagus, a person who can turn into an animal," Hermione explained while Harry grabbed his sister's shoulder. "Like Professor McGonagall. We can't trust it."

"Well then we can't trust any animal, now can we?" Skazzy replied, venom laced in her voice.

"Skaz."

That one word from her brother pulled her back to the more pressing issue. This dog might be a wizard. Wizards were able to lie. Wizards didn't tell the truth. Animals, well, what you see is what you get, right? Hedwig showed his dislike of Skazzy, never tried to hide it. Crookshanks showed he hated the rat, never pretended to like it. Mrs. Norris didn't hide her hate of students. Animals didn't need to hide. But wizards do. She looked up at her brother.

"Your decision," he said simply, releasing her shoulder. She knew the dog-person. Her choice. She knew the most. But, if it could be a wizard, then it could lie. If it could lie, then maybe it wasn't safe. It had lured her into a false sense of security all year, being around and _not doing anything_. And helping occasionally. But it could be a massive trap.

What about Crookshanks? Was he one too? Had the dog and the cat conspired? But how could they know everything would end up here. How would they know? Finding the rat had been a surprise. They couldn't predict that. Who would have known Hagrid's first lesson would lead to tonight and the death of a hippogriff. Was this an elaborate set up just to get her to let her guard down? Because it only needed to be down once. Only once, and everything could go to hell.

"Someone spent a lot of money on you two, and wanted you in particular to be protected," Amity whispered as Skazzy remained silent, her grip on the rat as sturdy as ever. "That's a lot of money to waste if the end goal is to harm you."

It was, but who knew? Could she afford to let her guard down? Could she afford to be wrong? What if the dog-person lied to her. So far it hadn't, well, not that she could tell. Its actions backed up its claims. Dog-person helped save her, maybe was the man who saved her. Dog-person spoke the truth about the rat. Dog-person seemed to like her. But what if it was a lie?

While Skazzy was lost in thought, ignoring the rat scratching and biting to get free, Hermione and Ron turned to Harry.

"Well…?" Hermione asked quietly. Harry shook his head and repeated himself.

"Her decision. I trust her."

To Ron and Hermione, they were surprised by the level of trust Harry showed in his sister and her opinions. They had known that Skazzy relied on Harry, and had a glimpse of how close Harry was to his sister, but this was something else. He was putting not only his own life, but the life of three others in her hands, based on her judgement which most everyone would say isn't sound at the best. Even though the other three were not comfortable with their lives in Skazzy's hands, Harry's utter conviction his sister would choose right kept them quiet.

Skazzy leaned down in front of the dog. "Are you an animagus?"

The dog barked yes, keeping eye contact with her, knowing this moment was important.

"Are there other things you haven't told me?" Skazzy asked, not blinking.

Again, the dog barked yes. Skazzy closed her eyes. This was too big this was beyond her she didn't do humans well, and now animals were suspect too and her whole world had tilted and she didn't know up from down and she might get Harry killed. And Amity. And Ron and Hermione. But mostly Harry. Whatever happened next was her fault, her responsibility.

Harry believed in her. She needed to live up to that.

"The dog seems like it really cares about you, you said it yourself," Amity whispered again.

The Dursley's made it obvious that they didn't, and Lockhart was fake, and the professors only cared when it was too late. Students were unconcerned. But Harry cared, and Hermione and Ron a bit, and Amity for some reason, and Amity was better at humans than she was and this was a human in front of her.

"It looks like a grim," Ron hissed. "Give me Scabbers."

Looked like a grim, acted like it cared, possibly protected her and definitely human. Humans could be everywhere, how would they know? Now that this new door was open, the safety zone shrank. Could she trust the human she believed to be a dog?

"How do we know if anything is human?" she whispered. The rat started to fight back more, and the dog sat quietly, eyes never leaving Skazzy as it shook its head. "We don't?"

The dog nodded.

Skazzy needed to make a decision, she couldn't hold the rat forever and eventually everyone would come out of Hagrid's hut. Harry trusted her and Amity believed the person-dog and she had believed the dog-person and what to do? Instinct was not to trust. Never trust. If you don't trust, then no one can betray you. But...there was something, somewhere deep inside of her that whispered past her fears and thoughts. 'You owe him. He saved your life.'

Skazzy didn't want to owe anybody, ever. There was a price to be paid for everything that happened, and she would rather get it out of the way now than have it come up again later. Right now, they were suspicious, wands ready. They had the advantage if things went south. Later they might not. And what if they ignored the dog? What if it came at them from behind? Skazzy closed her eyes and made her decision.

"One shot. You get one shot for saving me, and not lying outright. We do whatever we think is right when you're done," Skazzy said, opening her eyes. She didn't feel any bit better after having made the decision, but she did have no more ties to the dog-person if it turned out to be deceitful.

The dog stood, and headed towards the Whomping Willow, and everyone followed under the cloak. Scabbers was going even more insane then he had been before, but Skazzy refused to let him go. She just squeezed him again, a little harder. Crookshanks crawled under the tree, hit something, and the tree stopped moving.

"It would have been useful to know that last year," Ron muttered. Crookshanks and the dog disappeared down a hole that opened at the base. They took the cloak off, giving it to Amity to hold. Harry went to go first down the hole but Skazzy beat him.

"It's on me," she whispered, eye dark and the knuckles on her hand holding her wand white. Harry and Skazzy looked at each other for a moment, and Harry surrendered to his little sister. Right now, their traditional Hogwarts roles would be reversed. Skazzy would listen, he would be wary. Skazzy slid down the slope and into a tunnel. Igniting her wand, she could see the dog waiting for everyone. Harry came next, than Hermione, than Ron, and finally Amity. The dog stood up and started to walk down the tunnel.

"Where's this lead to?" Hermione asked, nervously looking around.

"Dunno. Fred and George said no one's ever gotten into it, but from the look of it on the map, it's heading into Hogsmeade," Harry answered. "We might have a ways to go."

"This will take awhile. Someone will notice we're missing," Ron said. "Now give me Scabbers."

"Not now. For some reason the cat and the dog-person dislike the rat. I want the whole story, and you can't hold onto him," Skazzy whispered as she bent a little to walk forward. The rat went slack in her hand. "Not going to work, rat."

At some point the tunnel began to rise, and then twisted. The dog disappeared, and Skazzy entered a disordered room. It looked like something had taken a bite out of the furniture, chewed it up. Most of the marks looked old, but there was disturbances in the dust to prove that someone or something had been here recently. The windows were boarded up and there were stains on the floor. Everyone crowded behind Skazzy.

"I think this is the Shrieking Shack," Hermione whispered as she looked around.

"Doesn't look like a ghost," Ron said, looking at the destruction.

"Maybe a poltergeist," Harry agreed.

"What are those stains?" Amity whispered.

The dog was standing by a door, and was waiting for everyone to get their bearings. Once he decided that they were done staring at the room, he scratched the door open and went up, waiting at the top of the stairs. Everyone followed it up. On the landing, which was lit only by their wands, they saw the door to another room.

"You know, if anything happened here, no one would notice," Ron whispered slowly, looking warily at the dog.

"I'm pretty sure no one notices what happens at Hogwarts," Skazzy quietly shot back. "But no point in being stupid. Ron, Hermione, you check out that room, we'll watch the dog."

"I'll go instead of Hermione," Harry softly said, lightly cuffing his sister. She was still overprotective of him.

"She knows more spells," Skazzy whispered back. Harry ignored her and went with Ron into the room. While those two were checking the room to make sure no one was waiting to kill them, Hermione and Amity left their wands trained on the dog-person.

"Safe," Harry called out after a few minutes of tense silence. Skazzy turned to the dog.

"You first, then us. If you transform before we are all in the room, it's open season on dog-persons, got it?" Skazzy threatened. The dog nodded, looking sad, before heading into the room. Hermione, Skazzy and Amity were right behind it. "Alright dog-person, you have one shot."

The dog nodded, and before their eyes morphed into man. His hair was matted and hung to his elbows, and he looked like a corpse. His skin was waxy and stretched so tightly over the bones of his face it looked like a skull.

"Sirius Black," Harry breathed, balling his hands up in anger. "You, you..."

"Have a lot of explaining to do," Skazzy interrupted, stepping in front of her brother.

"It's a long story..." the man started, his voice raspy from disuse.

"You can't trust him!" Ron hissed, also stepping in front of Harry with his wand out. "He killed all those people."

"He wasn't tried," Hermione reminded him, although her voice was shaky as was her wand as she pointed it at Black.

"If you kill me or my friends, my mother won't try your case pro-bono," Amity said boldly. The man stared at her in confusion.

* * *

"Sorry, what?" Sirius asked Phoenix's friend. He wasn't quite sure he had heard her right. The girl took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"My mother is a lawyer, and recently discovered that you hadn't had a trial. She's willing to represent you pro-bono, win or lose, but if you kill me, she probably won't. And if you kill my friends, I'll tell her not to," the girl said, standing firm although clearly frightened of what was going on.

"I'm not going to kill any of you," Sirius answered honestly, trying to wrap his head around the concept that someone had checked to see if he had a trial. "Why now?"

"That's… a good question. I hadn't got a chance to ask her yet, I only received the news today," Amity said, shrugging. "But I do know she doesn't like people who hurt her family."

"Fair enough. And again, I'm not going to kill any students. At all. One of you has a penchant for finding dangerous situations as it is," Sirius said, glancing at Phoenix.

She scrunched her face up a bit, before shaking her head. "No, Harry's got me beat."

"How?" Harry demanded, forgetting about the accused murderer in the room. "Basilisk! Potions!"

"Troll, Voldemort, Other Voldemort, quidditch," Phoenix shot back. Sirius had to shake his head.

"Hold on, basilisk? Troll? Two Voldemorts? Who the hell has been taking care of you?" he asked, trying to wrap his head around the fact that the two kids in front of him had had so many misadventures.

"Not our parents, thanks to you," Harry shot back, trying to get a view of Sirius that was not obscured. "Or did you forget?"

Sirius winced. Even if he didn't actually do it, it was his fault. He had told them to switch.

"Regardless, explanation. Now. What does rat, you, and cat have to do with anything, and why did you save me?" Phoenix demanded, still holding onto the rat.

"I wasn't going to let you die! James would kill me!" Sirius responded to her last sentence without thinking.

"Uh, didn't you get James Potter killed and wouldn't he kill you for that?" Harry's male friend asked, a bit confused.

"Yes, and no. I'm innocent of the crime I was jailed for," Sirius started.

"That sounds like a no, where's the yes?" Phoenix asked. Harry ran a hand through his hair, mirroring James when he was annoyed.

"How about you let the evil man tell his story, since you decided to give him a chance?" Harry sniped. His sister bared her teeth at him before turning back to Sirius.

"I did not kill all those people. Peter Pettigrew did," Sirius said, enjoying how it felt to tell the truth, even if they didn't believe him yet.

"So, you're blaming a dead guy? Not helping you," Harry's male friend said, wand not moving.

"He isn't dead. He's an animagus, like me," Sirius said. He noticed most of the group look a little confused while Phoenix looked at the rat. "When your parents went into hiding, they needed a..."

"Secret keeper and they picked you," Harry interrupted. "We know that part."

"Hey, who said no interrupting?" Phoenix asked, eyes not leaving the rat.

"I was the original pick. But I thought I was too obvious. I was James Potter's best friend, everyone would expect it to be me. So I convinced your parents to pick Pettigrew over me. No one would suspect him, he was generally quiet and in the background, and I wasn't sure about Remus because..."

"Wait, as in our professor?" Harry's female friend asked. "Remus Lupin?"

"He did say he knew our parents," Harry admitted.

"Smart not to trust him," Phoenix muttered. Sirius stared at the two of them aghast.

"No one told you that Remus was one of your father's best friends? He didn't tell you? He didn't tell you he was Phoenix's godfather?"

"Don't call me Phoenix," Phoenix said automatically before the rest of his words hit. "Wait, he's my what?"

"Godfather, like I'm Harry's. We were supposed to look after you if anything happened to your parents," Sirius explained.

"Are you sure Peter Pettigrew was the bad guy?" Phoenix asked, eyeing Sirius.

"Skaz," Harry started. Phoenix shook her head.

"Twelve. Fucking. Years. He had twelve fucking years to try and meet us and take care of us and nada. Zilch. I think I've been downright nice to him in light of that," Phoenix said, her voice dripping in disdain.

"Yes I'm sure it was Pettigrew. We switched to him, and on the night of your parents' death, I stopped by his house to check on him. It was empty, and I had a bad feeling, so I headed over to your house but I was too late. I was in shock, Hagrid was standing there with Harry and I just couldn't believe everyone else was dead. I was so relieved when I heard you crying, Phoenix. I wouldn't have been able to bear it if you had died too. You were only six months, hadn't really had a chance to grow up," Sirius said, caught up in the memories that had replayed in his mind for twelve years. "Hagrid refused to hand Harry over, and it made no sense to separate you two since you just lost everyone. And I knew I had to go after Pettigrew, that it was his fault. And I found him, and he started yelling, saying I had been secret keeper and betrayed them. And then he blew up the street with his wand behind his back and transformed and got away before the Ministry came. And all I could think of was that I had underestimated him, that he had just pulled the biggest prank of all on us. Pretending to be on our side, be our friend. And I laughed because the tears wouldn't come."

"Very touching story, but Pettigrew blew up too. How are you going to back this story up?" Harry asked, wand still pointed at Sirius.

"There was some ridiculously small amount of him found, wasn't there?" Phoenix asked, eyeing the rat in her hand.

"Finger, sent it to his mother," Harry's male friend answered.

"Ron, your rat is missing a finger," Phoenix said. The friend stared.

"What..."

"How long have you had him?" Harry asked, catching on to his sister's train of thought.

"Twelve years..." Ron started before fading off.

"Rats don't live that long," Phoenix said.

"Humans do," Harry added.

"How can we tell?" Phoenix's friend asked. Harry's female friend spoke up.

"There's a charm that can force an animagus out of their shape. I was looking it up in a bit of..."

"Light reading," the four chorused, looking at the girl. She huffed, but turned her wand to the rat.

"Wait, someone has to be the voice of sanity right now," Phoenix's friend announced. "It's not Ron, it's his rat, Hermione's frazzled, and not Harry because his parents were the ones murdered. So that leaves me."

"Hey," Phoenix said, looking a little annoyed. "I'm sane."

"You talk to random dogs, and sleep outside of the safety of dorms even when there is a monster on the loose," her friend pointed out.

"Monster?" Sirius asked, dazed by the rapid fire chatter. He'd been out of society too long.

"Basilisk," the five said looking at him before turning back to Phoenix's friend.

"How does he know Ron's rat is his ex-friend? Will this hurt Ron's rat if he isn't an animagus? Are we sure Hermione can...stupid thought. But the first two. How did he know where the rat was?" the friend asked. Ron, Hermione and Harry looked at Sirius while Phoenix kept watching the rat.

"Newspaper. Your dad won some money and you went to Egypt," Sirius said.

"Explains Scabbers' sickness," Harry said, wand pointing towards the rat now.

"The spell won't hurt a nonanimagus," Hermione reassured Ron.

"Will it hurt an animagus?" Phoenix asked, her eye not leaving the rat.

"No. It won't hurt anybody. May I do it now?" Hermione asked, trembling a bit.

"Pity. Let's," and Phoenix gave the rat in her hand a very chilling smiling before turning to Hermione and tossing the rat in the air.

* * *

In the Room the two Unspeakables watched as the quill continued its slow march against the page.

Happened:

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Amity Fear and Phoenix Potter follow Sirius Black into the Shrieking Shack and listen to his story. Remus Lupin begins to head towards the Shrieking Shack to await his change into a werewolf.

"A werewolf? Haven't these kids faced enough?" asked the younger Unspeakable. The elder one sighed.

"I'm pretty sure it's out of their hands. Hopefully no one will get hurt, and we'll get some answers."

"Answers we won't be able to do anything with," the younger one said, glaring at the book.

"There's always a cost," the older Unspeakable said wearily. "Always a cost."


	17. And the Truth Will be Revealed

Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, there would be a very different ending. Maybe Colin would have been the boy who lived, just to annoy everyone especially Harry. Voldemort, brought down not by the boy he'd been attempting to kill for seventeen plus years, but a muggleborn Gryffindor whose presence at Hogwarts for the last battle was never really explained well. And Neville totally would have taken down Bellatrix. He was robbed.

But that's a different story.

* * *

Before Hermione could cast the spell, the group heard a noise downstairs and froze. Scabbers hit the floor, dazed. Crookshanks pounced on him to keep him from going anywhere, but everyone still winced at the thump he made.

"Who would be here?" Harry whispered, pointing his wand towards the door.

"Shh. I'm pretty sure we aren't suppose to be here," Skazzy whispered out of the side of her mouth, wand turned towards the rat.

Hermione and Amity both paled.

"Uh, I think I know what caused all the damage downstairs," Hermione whispered.

"We should probably leave now," Amity said, but was interrupted by a horrible sound. It sounded like bones cracking, as if some kind of transfiguration was going on, a forced one on an animal. There was silence after the sound, and a heavy panting sound.

"What was that?" Ron asked, his wand pointed away from Black and at the door. Hermione moved away from the door, further into the room. Amity hid behind her, whimpering in fear.

"Bad news," Hermione trembled. "We need to barricade the door."

Black went to close the door, as white as the two girls when everyone in the room heard something howl.

"That sounded like a wolf," Ron gulped as his wand hand began to tremble.

"Please let that not be what I think that is," Harry begged, going pale. Skazzy looked around, trying to find something in the room to use as a weapon. She wasn't confident enough that spells would be able to do anything. Granted, this was also the homework assignment she had skipped doing. She was cursing herself inside for that.

"If you think it isn't a werewolf, than it isn't what you think it is," Hermione said, as everyone stood still.

"Maybe he doesn't know we're up here?" Ron grasped weakly at excuses. Unfortunately, something large began moving up the stairs. Black moved to position himself in front of all the students.

"Stay behind me, and try and get out the window," he said. Four people followed his instructions, deciding that now was really not the time to debate his reliability. A fifth was being stupidly reckless. She had managed to get the cloak that Amity had dropped and placed it over herself while everyone was watching the door. She then found a piece of broken furniture, and prepared herself for a fight.

Something began to take form in the doorway, growling and slinking in. Its eyes were focused on Black and its mouth was curled up in a horrible grin. Black held his ground while the four sane students backed up to the window.

"It's not what it looks like," Black tried to reason with the werewolf. "I swear."

* * *

In the Room Outside of Time, the quill scratched at the paper again.

Happened:

Remus Lupin confronts Sirius Black as a werewolf.

"I don't suppose the kids are gone?" the younger one asked.

"The way their luck is going? Probably not," the elder one said, closing his eyes.

"This will be fun, Agent Phantom said. It'll be the most interesting assignment you can have, he said," the younger one muttered. "This is torture!"

"Important assignment. I think he meant important," the elder corrected.

"I should have let Agent Rock Squirrel have it," the younger one muttered.

"You probably should have," the elder agreed.

* * *

Remus had been surprised when he heard the thump from upstairs, but was distracted by the change involved in becoming a werewolf. He had howled about his pain after the completion, and prepared to curl up and sleep through the night, far enough away from anyone that he wouldn't hurt people.

And then his ears detected some whispering, faint traces of movement upstairs. His curiosity overcame him and he began to climb the stairs, wondering who would be in the Shack on a night like this. Halfway up the stairs, his question was answered as he heard his favorite students and their friends quietly talking. He was prepared to go back downstairs, so as not to frighten them when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time.

Sirius Black.

Sirius Black had the two Potters and their friends trapped in a room in the Shrieking Shack. Forget the fact that all five of them should be in the castle, and that three of them didn't have permission to be off the grounds ever and two weren't even suppose to be unaccompanied by an adult while outside, of course these students would be the ones in the middle of everything.

Remus Lupin bared his teeth, preparing to give Sirius Black the worst possible fate he could, although he wasn't entirely sure what the price was for willingly biting an escaped prisoner. But he had promised himself he would protect the Potters, and he would be damned if he let Black hurt one hair on their heads. He entered the room, eyes only on Black, barely noticing the four kids cowering behind him. Black held his hands out, trying to reason with him but Remus' instincts as a werewolf were bubbling to the surface, challenging the control the Wolfsbane gave him. He prepared to leap, tensing his back legs when his head began to hurt. He looked around, trying to figure out who was helping Black when he saw a chair leg come out of nowhere and hit him again. He shook his head, dazed, but a third whack knocked him out cold.

* * *

The cloak fell off Skazzy as she swung the chair leg at the werewolf for the last time and managed to knock it out. Everyone else stared at her for a bit, taking in what just happened.

"So, just in case this ever happens again, do spells work against a werewolf? I didn't actually do that assignment," Skazzy broke the silence. That immediately broke the floodgates.

"Do you know what you just did?" Hermione asked, aghast while Amity glared at her friend.

"How could you do that?" she asked. Ron and Harry just looked at the other two girls, confused.

"You probably shouldn't have done that," Black said as he took in the scene. "I doubt he'll be too happy when he wakes up."

"If I was concerned about his feelings, I'm quite sure I would have realized it before now," Skazzy replied. Hermione gaped.

"So wait, you know who that is and you _still_ did it? He's a professor!" she screeched. Skazzy winced at her tone.

"Hey, you were all backing away, ready to jump out a window and break legs. I felt this was easier. Kind of. So, uh, answer to question?" Skazzy asked, throwing the chair leg aside.

"Hold up, you lost us," Harry said, gesturing to Ron and himself. Hermione answered without looking away from Skazzy.

"Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and your sister just attacked him," she explained. Harry and Ron stared from Hermione to the werewolf she was claiming was their professor and back.

"Guess he wasn't afraid of crystal orbs," Ron said.

"Really Skaz?" Harry asked, exasperated.

"Hey, he doesn't know that I knew. I can argue self-defense. Actually, I can argue self-defense anyway. I was afraid for someone's life," Skazzy defended herself.

"Not his," Amity muttered.

"Never pretended to be afraid for his life. And how was I suppose to know it was a teacher?" Skazzy demanded.

"I told you yesterday!" Amity replied, her voice cold.

"I know that, but he doesn't. And they didn't until you told them. And I'm sticking to my story," Skazzy said, stubbornly crossing her arms. "Actually, on second thought, I was never here. None of us were here and clearly he was imaging things because we would absolutely not be outside so late in a place off limits."

Harry shook his head at his sister. "We should probably do something to make sure he doesn't wake up soon."

"He's probably taking Wolfsbane, I doubt Professor Dumbledore would allow him near children if he wasn't safe," Hermione said, shaking her head at Skazzy.

"Basilisk, Voldemort," Skazzy pointed out.

"Wolfsbane?" Black asked, turning to Hermione. As Hermione explained the potion to the escaped never convicted prisoner, Harry stunned the professor.

"Spells do work. Duly noted. Next time I will not attack with a chair leg," Skazzy said, saluting her brother. He just shook his head.

"Where were we?" Harry asked, and everyone turned towards Crookshanks and Scabbers.

"I threw the rat, Hermione was about to put a spell on him," Skazzy answered. Harry nodded and aimed his wand at the rat.

"Hermione?" Harry asked.

"We're going to be in so much trouble when Professor Lupin wakes up," she fretted, casting the spell.

"Technically, Nixie was the idiot who attacked a professor. Again," Amity pointed out.

"Oh come on, Lockhart wasn't a professor, he was deranged!" Skazzy's defense was overshadowed by the change Scabbers the rat was going through. "Ron, you slept with that?"

Ron was pale and had his wand pointed at his ex-pet rat. "Not intentionally. And this doesn't prove anything."

"Except that Black was right that Scabbers was an animagus," Harry pointed out.

"All animagus' are supposed to be registered," Hermione said, even as she stared at the man on the floor before them. Black gave a half-hearted laugh.

"There's no Sirius Black registered," he said.

"Polyjuice potion, Slytherin common room," coughed Skazzy, looking intently towards the rat-man on the floor when Hermione glared at her.

He was a very short man, hardly taller than everyone except Ron. His thin, colorless hair was unkempt and there was a large bald patch on top. He had the shrunken appearance of a plump man who has lost a lot of weight in a short time. His skin looked grubby, almost like Scabbers's fur, and something of the rat lingered around his pointed nose and his very small, watery eyes. He looked around at them all, his breathing fast and shallow. Harry saw his eyes dart to the door and back again.

"Well, hello, Peter," said Black, smiling a cold smile. "Long time, no see."

"S—Sirius..." Even Pettigrew's voice was squeaky. Again, his eyes darted toward the door. "My friend... my old friend..."

"We've been having a little chat, Peter, about what happened the night Lily and James died. You might have missed the finer points while you were squeaking around down there..."

"Harry," gasped Pettigrew, and Skazzy could see beads of sweat breaking out over his pasty face, "you don't believe him, do you...? He tried to kill me, Harry..."

"So we've heard," said Skazzy, more coldly, aiming her wand at the man who was looking suspiciously more and more like the one who betrayed her parents.

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew squeaked suddenly, pointing at Black, and Skazzy saw that he used his middle finger, because his index was missing. "He killed your parents and now he's going to kill me too... You've got to help me..."

"No one's going to try and kill anyone until we've sorted a few things out," said Harry said, stalling his sister and Black.

"Sorted things out?" squealed Pettigrew, looking wildly about him once more, eyes taking in the boarded windows and, again, the only door. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"Hang on, you knew Black was going to break out of Azkaban?" said Ron, his brow furrowed. "But nobody else has ever managed it before."

"He's got dark powers the rest of us can only dream of!" Pettigrew shouted shrilly. "How else did he get out of there? I suppose He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taught him a few tricks!"

Black started to laugh, a horrible, mirthless laugh that filled the whole room.

"Voldemort, teach me tricks?" he said.

Pettigrew flinched as though Black had brandished a whip at him.

"What, scared to hear your old master's name?" said Black. "I don't blame you, Peter. His lot aren't very happy with you, are they?"

"Don't know what you mean, Sirius..." muttered Pettigrew, his breathing faster than ever. His whole face was shining with sweat now.

"You haven't been hiding from me for twelve years," said Black. "You've been hiding from Voldemort's old supporters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter... They all think you're dead, or you'd have to answer to them... I've heard them screaming all sorts of things in their sleep. Sounds like they think the double-crosser double-crossed them. Voldemort went to the Potters' on your information... and Voldemort met his downfall there. And not all Voldemort's supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, biding their time, pretending they've seen the error of their ways. If they ever got wind that you were still alive, Peter..."

"Hold on, how is it that every one of You-Know-Who's supporters in Azkaban know about him, and no one else does? Aren't there any guards who watch over you? Shouldn't they report what they hear? If the supporters are willing to talk, shouldn't someone take down what they say?" Hermione asked, turning to Sirius.

"Hermione, Dementors. They don't exactly care about innocence and guilt," Amity pointed out.

"Don't know... what you're talking about..." said Pettigrew again, more shrilly than ever. He wiped his face on his sleeve and looked up at Harry. "You don't believe this Harry, right? This madness?"

"Why would an innocent man would want to spend twelve years as a rat?" asked Skazzy, wand arm twitching as she held back for her brother's cue.

"Innocent, but scared!" squealed Pettigrew. "If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it was because I put one of their best men in Azkaban... the spy, Sirius Black!"

Black's face contorted.

"How dare you," he growled, sounding suddenly like the bearsized dog he had been. Amity and Hermione both turned their wands towards him, remembering they still didn't know the truth. "I, a spy for Voldemort? When did I ever sneak around people who were stronger and more powerful than myself? But you, Peter... I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us... me and Remus... and James..."

Pettigrew wiped his face again; he was almost panting for breath. "Me, a spy... must be out of your mind... never... don't know how you can say such a —"

"Lily and James only made you Secret-Keeper because I suggested it," Black hissed, so venomously that Pettigrew took a step backward. "I thought it was the perfect plan... a bluff... Voldemort would be sure to come after me, would never dream they'd use a weak, talentless thing like you... It must have been the finest moment of your miserable life, telling Voldemort you could hand him the Potters."

Pettigrew was muttering distractedly; Harry caught words like "far-fetched" and "lunacy," but he couldn't help paying more attention to the ashen color of Pettigrew's face and the way his eyes continued to dart toward the windows and door. Skazzy began itching to attack the man who was acting more like a guilty person than the supposed convict.

"Well — Scabbers — I mean, this — this man — he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he's working for You-Know-Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?" Hermione asked, looking from Pettigrew to Black and trying to decide who to trust.

"There!" said Pettigrew shrilly, pointing at Ron with his maimed hand. "Thank you! You see? I have never hurt a hair of Harry's head! Why should I?"

"I'll tell you why," said Black. "Because you never did anything for anyone unless you could see what was in it for you. Voldemort's been in hiding for twelve years, they say he's half dead. You weren't about to commit murder right under Albus Dumbledore's nose, for a wreck of a wizard who'd lost all of his power, were you? You'd want to be quite sure he was the biggest bully in the playground before you went back to him, wouldn't you? Why else did you find a wizard family to take you in? Keeping an ear out for news, weren't you, Peter? Just in case your old protector regained strength, and it was safe to rejoin him..."

"Technically, he's only been in hiding for eleven years, he spent one at Hogwarts," Skazzy pointed out. Harry slapped her on the back of the head.

"Not helping," Harry told her as he watched what was going on.

Pettigrew opened his mouth and closed it several times. He seemed to have lost the ability to talk.

"Er — Mr. Black — Sirius?" said Hermione.

Black turned towards her, not surprised that her wand was still aimed at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get out of Azkaban, if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at her. "Exactly! Precisely what I..."

But Skazzy silenced him with a look, her one good eye glaring. Pettigrew, who had been able to avoid seeing her since her accident was unnerved by the sight of a mini Lily Evans with a horribly scarred face. Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, but not as though he were annoyed with her. He seemed to be pondering his answer.

"I don't know how I did it," he said slowly. "I think the only reason I never lost my mind is that I knew I was innocent. That wasn't a happy thought, so the Dementors couldn't suck it out of me... but it kept me sane and knowing who I am... helped me keep my powers... so when it all became... too much... I could transform in my cell... become a dog. But I was weak, very weak, and I had no hope of driving them away from me without a wand..."

"Animals aren't affected like humans, so being a dog would lessen the impact," Amity explained. When the three Gryffindor's stared at her, she blushed. "My mother said..."

"Not the issue right now," Skazzy said. "Can we..."

"Let Black finish his story? Yes," Harry interrupted. Skazzy scowled.

"But then I saw Peter in that picture... I realized he was at Hogwarts with Harry and Phoenix... perfectly positioned to act, if one hint reached his ears that the Dark Side was gathering strength again..."

Pettigrew was shaking his head, mouthing noiselessly, but staring all the while at Black as though hypnotized.

"... ready to strike at the moment he could be sure of allies... and to deliver the last two Potters to them. If he gave them Harry and Phoenix, who'd dare say he'd betrayed Lord Voldemort? He'd be welcomed back with honors...

"So you see, I had to do something. I was the only one who knew Peter was still alive..."

Harry nodded. "That explains why the guards said you'd been talking in your sleep... always the same words... 'He's at Hogwarts.'"

"It was as if someone had lit a fire In my head, and the Dementors couldn't destroy it... It wasn't a happy feeling... it was an obsession... but it gave me strength, it cleared my mind. So, one night when they opened my door to bring food, I slipped past them as a dog... It's so much harder for them to sense animal emotions that they were confused... I was thin, very thin... thin enough to slip through the bars... I swam as a dog back to the mainland… And I went to check on the two Potters before I did what I had set out to do that night. And decided that someone had done a very piss poor job of protecting them. I followed them around Diagon Alley..." Black continued.

"Yeah, I saw him there, and then at the platform, and various times throughout the year," Skazzy added. She looked at Black. "You do look like the person I thought had saved me at the quidditch game."

Harry was quiet. Now it was up to him to make the decision. Whose story made more sense? The dead man who wasn't actually dead, or the convict who had never been convicted? Skazzy waited for her brother to decide, while the other three students looked between Black, Pettigrew and Harry.

"Believe me," croaked Black. "Believe me, Harry. I never betrayed James and Lily. I would have died before I betrayed them."

Eventually Harry nodded, conceding that Black's story made more sense than Pettigrew's. That, and Black had done more to protect the Potters than Scabbers had ever done.

"No!"

Pettigrew had fallen to his knees as though Harry's nod had been his own death sentence. He shuffled forward on his knees, groveling, his hands clasped in front of him as though praying.

"Sirius, it's me... it's Peter... your friend... you wouldn't,"

Black kicked out and Pettigrew recoiled.

"There's enough filth on my robes without you touching them," said Black.

"Phoenix!" Pettigrew squeaked, turning to Skazzy instead, writhing imploringly in front of her. "You don't believe this, right? I would never hurt your parents, you believe me? You look so much like your mother, she wouldn't believe him."

Skazzy pretended to think, watching as Pettigrew moved closer. Pettigrew clearly didn't know her very well. She managed to get in a good kick at Pettigrew's ribs that connected. "Yeah, no. Don't think so. Can I get revenge?"

"You wouldn't... you won't..." gasped Pettigrew. And he scrambled around to Ron.

"Ron... haven't I been a good friend... a good pet? You won't let them kill me, Ron, will you... you're on my side, aren't you?"

But Ron was staring at Pettigrew with the utmost revulsion. "I let you sleep in my bed!" he said.

"Kind boy... kind master..." Pettigrew crawled toward Ron "You won't let them do it... I was your rat... I was a good pet..."

"If you made a better rat than a human, it's not much to boast about, Peter," said Black harshly.

Ron simply moved out of his reach and pointed his wand at Pettigrew. Pettigrew turned on his knees, staggered forward, and seized the hem of Hermione's robes.

"Sweet girl... clever girl... you — you won't let them... Help me..."

Hermione pulled her robes out of Pettigrew's clutching hands and backed away against the wall, looking horrified. Amity backed away in case he tried to do the same.

Pettigrew knelt, trembling uncontrollably, and turned his head slowly toward Harry. "Harry... Harry... you look just like your father... just like him..."

"Harry," whispered Pettigrew, shuffling toward him, hands outstretched. "Harry, James wouldn't have wanted me killed... James would have understood, Harry... he would have shown me mercy..."

Black strode forward, seized Pettigrew's shoulders, and threw him backward onto the floor. He sat there, twitching with terror, staring up at everyone.

"You sold Lily and James to Voldemort," said Black. "Do you deny it?"

Pettigrew burst into tears. It was pathetic to watch, like an oversized, balding baby, cowering on the floor. Skazzy raised her lip in disgust.

"Sirius, Sirius, what could I have done? The Dark Lord... you have no idea... he has weapons you can't imagine... I was scared, Sirius, I was never brave like you and Remus and James. I never meant it to happen... He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named forced me..."

"DON'T LIE!" bellowed Black. "YOU'D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED! YOU WERE HIS SPY!"

"He — he was taking over everywhere!" gasped Pettigrew. "Wh-what was there to be gained by refusing him?"

"What was there to be gained by fighting the most evil wizard who has ever existed?" said Black, with a terrible fury in his face. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!"

Black stood in front of him, shaking while Pettigrew cowered on the floor.

"Can I kill him now?" Skazzy asked her brother, wand in her hand.

Hermione and Amity covered their faces with their hands and turned to the wall.

"No," Harry said, stopping his sister from killing the man in front of them. "You can't kill him."

"Why not? He's part of the reason we were placed with our aunt and uncle," Skazzy complained, not moving her wand but also not casting any spells.

"I know," Harry said. "We'll take him up to the castle. We'll hand him over to the Dementors... He can go to Azkaban... but don't kill him."

"Harry!" gasped Pettigrew, and he flung his arms around Harry's knees. "You — thank you — it's more than I deserve — thank you —"

"Get off me," Harry spat, throwing Pettigrew's hands off him in disgust. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it because I'm pretty sure our parents wouldn't want their daughter to kill someone in cold blood at age thirteen."

No one moved or made a sound except Pettigrew, whose breath was coming in wheezes as he clutched his chest.

"Are we sure they wouldn't want me to get revenge for them?" Skazzy asked, not putting her wand down.

"Absolutely. While we're at it, the whole thing with attacking a werewolf and going after a basilisk are also things they would have frowned on..." Black began at the same time as Harry spoke.

"He can go to Azkaban," Harry repeated. "If anyone deserves that place, he does..."

"How about we let a Dementor kiss him?" Skazzy said, scowling at her brother and ignoring Black.

"How about we let innocent people get a chance at freedom?" her brother asked her dryly.

"What are you… Oh, right. I guess it would be slightly easier to prove that Black didn't kill Pettigrew if Pettigrew was alive… But does he really need his soul? Does he even have one?"

"Skazzy," Harry said, his tone final. Skazzy lowered her wand regretfully and Hermione cast a spell to tie him up. Pettigrew was wriggling on the floor, bound and gagged.

"What if he transforms, Harry? How about then?" Skazzy asked, perking up at the idea.

"Maybe," Harry said, eyes dismissing Pettigrew.

"Er… what about the professor?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the werewolf which hadn't moved since Skazzy had knocked him out.

"I can hit it on the head again," Skazzy smiled.

"Expelliarmus," Harry said, glaring at his little sister.

"Or we could do that. Take away all my fun," Skazzy pouted.

"And two of us should be chained to this," said Black, nudging Pettigrew with his toe. "Just to make sure."

"I'll do it," volunteered Skazzy.

"And me," said Ron savagely. Black borrowed Skazzy's wand to conjure heavy manacles from thin air; soon Pettigrew was upright again, left arm chained to Skazzy's right, right arm to Ron's left. Ron's face was set. He seemed to have taken Scabbers's true identity as a personal insult. Crookshanks leapt lightly off the bed and led the way out of the room, his bottlebrush tail held jauntily high. Skazzy enjoyed 'accidentally' knocking Pettigrew into things. Harry grabbed the cloak off the floor.

"I guess this means we're off to see Dumbledore," Hermione said as they made their way through the tunnel.

"I probably should contact my mother," Amity mused.

"And apparently I need to tell you about things your parents would not encourage you to do," Black said, following behind Skazzy, Ron, and Pettigrew.

"How about tell us about our parents? We haven't heard much about them," Harry said, walking next to Black.

* * *

Sirius turned to look at the boy who looked almost exactly like James, minus the eyes.

"Well, your dad was also an animagus. We did it in our fifth year, to keep Remus, or Moony as we called him, company on the full moon," Sirius started.

"Wait, Moony as in Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs?" Ron asked, turning around to gape at Sirius.

"Explains how Professor Lupin knew how to operate the map," Harry said, thinking. "I'll guess he's Wormtail, since that's what his tail looks like."

"Wouldn't he have complained about the name?" Amity asked. "I would hate to have a nickname like that."

"Mrghmph," Pettigrew mumbled, still gagged.

"I think he just said he wanted us to introduce him to Dementors," Phoenix spoke up cheerily.

"Or not," Harry shook his head at his sister.

"To be honest, that was the best thing we could think up. Even he agreed it was better than the other ones," Sirius said, remembering the three month long argument about nicknames. "Remus was more upset with Moony."

"So, that makes our dad..." Harry trailed off.

"Prongs. He could turn into a stag," Sirius said, smiling as he remembered a little of the better times. His time outside of Azkaban had been beneficial to recovering memories. "We used to spend the full moons in the woods, playing with Moony."

"That seems rather dangerous," Hermione pointed out.

"I suppose, looking back on it..." Sirius agreed regretfully. "But we were kids, we weren't thinking."

"That's which parent Skazzy get's her instincts from," Ron called out, before Phoenix knocked him and Pettigrew into a wall.

"Oops, I tripped," Phoenix said, voice full of false sincerity.

"Uh, I had a few questions of my own. Besides the obvious ones," Sirius said, turning to look at Phoenix. "Why Skazzy?"

"Long story short, it's a nickname from the word spaz which Harry mispronounced when we were younger," Phoenix answered. "I've answered to that longer than anything else."

"Okay. And Hufflepuff?" Sirius asked. Phoenix scowled darkly.

"A hat with a death wish," she muttered.

"You must have seen how loyal she is to her brother," Amity interrupted. "Last year she punched a Hufflepuff student for insulting him."

"No regrets," Phoenix said, head held high.

"You didn't do that again, did you?" Harry asked, looking at his sister.

"Not this year," Amity answered while Phoenix tried to remember.

"Anyway. Parents. More?" Phoenix said, deflecting the conversation away from her. Sirius frowned, not quite done with his questions.

"Actually, I think we have a bigger problem..." Hermione said, pointing across the lawn as they came out of the Whomping Willow tunnel.

"Oh, right. I forgot about Buckbeak," Harry said as the group leaving Hagrid's hut stopped and stared at the group of students out after hours. "There is absolutely no way we can fit under the cloak."

"It's probably too late to even try," Ron said.

"Well, it's not like they can actually do anything, right?" Amity said. "The Kiss order has been rescinded, and uh, okay, maybe we might get expelled."

"Did someone tell the Minister that?" Phoenix asked, voice uncharacteristically concerned and shaking.

"About what, the order being rescinded? Yes, why?" Amity asked, shivering.

"No reason. Just the massive horde of Dementors coming our way," Phoenix said, pointing towards a black mass headed towards them.

* * *

In the Room the quill began to move again.

Happened:

Sirius Black, Amity Fear, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Phoenix Potter and Peter Pettigrew run into Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore, Walden MacNair, and Alfred Fenwick as the later group comes out of Rubeus Hagrid's hut. Dementors descend on the group of students.

"You know what? Just tell me when it's over," the younger one said, turning around so that he didn't have to read what was happening.

"On the bright side, this isn't suppose to happen," the elder one said, watching the quill in morbid fascination.

"I'm not entirely sure if that is a good thing or not yet," the younger one said, staring at the wall.


	18. Dementor's Kiss

Disclaimer: I still have failed to manage to get the rights to Harry Potter. Granted, I'm also not trying very hard. Student loans and all that.

AN: I'm on a roll! Granted, I'm also at the part of the book were things really start happening, and closer to major divergences from cannon. Fun times. I'd appreciate any feedback anyone is willing to give. I am aware that I clearly enjoy this and thus can't actually give myself good feedback, and would like to know where I need to strengthen things. You can flame if you want, but that isn't exactly going to help you or me. Well, it won't help me.

* * *

Everyone turned to stare at the descending mass of Dementors. Amity began to turn pale and shake as memories of the Chamber swam to the front of her mind. Hermione and Ron turned pale, while Harry, Sirius and Skazzy stayed absolutely still.

"You know, I suddenly feel like we'd be safer with the werewolf," Skazzy said, voice shaking.

"Run," Harry said. The whole group turned around to escape, but Skazzy and Ron, attached to Pettigrew stumbled, and both cursed.

"Fuck it, we can't run with him," Skazzy called out to Harry. Harry and Sirius turned to look back at them. From behind them came a scream.

"Tree's alive," Hermione's voice came shrilly. "Tunnels off limits."

"Dammit," Sirius muttered. Pettigrew decided that this was an excellent time to attempt an escape. His body began shrinking and the chains and ropes fell off him.

"Oh no you don't," Skazzy muttered, managing to step on one of Pettigrew's paws. That didn't keep him for long. He turned back into a human, causing Skazzy to lose her balance and fall over. He managed to surprise Ron and grab his wand, one hand dangling by his side.

"Uh, Harry, Pettigrew's armed..." Ron said, backing away and tripping over Skazzy as she attempted to get up.

"Ooof, you're heavy," she panted as he collapsed on top of her and accidentally dodged a spell cast by Pettigrew. Pettigrew wasted no time in transforming back into a rat. Skazzy struggled underneath Ron's weight. "Get off me. Expelliarmus!"

"Skaz, forget the rat," Harry said, shuddering as the Dementors swooped in.

"Oh no," Hermione whispered.

"We're going to lose our souls," Amity said, staring blankly at the mass ahead of them.

"No, we aren't. We are going to get through this," Harry said determinedly. Sirius had already dropped to the ground, still susceptible to the Dementors, moaning the names of the elder Potters.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry yelled, casting the spell and trying to keep a happy memory. "Expecto Patronum."

"Ex...expecto patronum?" Hermione said, trying to copy Harry but not really succeeding. "Oh, we all should have learned this."

"Not again, please," Amity was whimpering, curled in on herself as memories of the Chamber assaulted her mind.

"Ginny!" Ron said, dazed. Skazzy struggled from beneath him. "She can't be gone!"

"Expecto Patronum," Skazzy said, giving up on standing up and just aiming from the ground. "Expecto Patronum..."

"It's not working," Hermione wailed.

"They're too far away to help," Harry said, falling to his knees next to Sirius. "Expecto Patronum..."

Harry managed to get something to come out of his wand, like he did at the quidditch match. The smokey semi-solid form deterred some of the Dementors, but not all of them. Not by a long shot. By this point, Hermione was next to Amity, unable to do anything as she was assaulted by memories of being petrified, of Ron being attacked by a troll and sacrificed during the chess game. Skazzy wasn't getting anywhere, unable to get anything to form from her wand despite focusing hard.

"Expecto Patronum..." Harry panted. He watched as Skazzy fell limp, wand falling from her hand. "Come on… Expecto Patronum..."

Skazzy could hear her brother's voice, sounding farther and farther away as the sound of her father's voice came into her ears. The last thing she saw before passing out was someone jump out from behind a bush waving a wand.

* * *

"No — no —" Harry gasped as the Dementors crowded around everyone. "He's innocent… expecto expecto patronum… You can't do this..."

His patronus was only feebly holding all the Dementors off, preventing them from getting to Sirius. He could feet them watching him, hear their rattling breath like an evil wind around him. The nearest Dementor seemed to be considering him. Then it raised both its rotting hands — and lowered its hood.

Where there should have been eyes, there was only thin, gray scabbed skin, stretched blankly over empty sockets. But there was a mouth... a gaping, shapeless hole, sucking the air with the sound of a death rattle.

A paralyzing terror filled Harry so that he couldn't move or speak. His patronus flickered and died.

White fog was blinding him. He had to fight... expecto patronum... he couldn't see... and in the distance, he heard the familiar screaming... expecto patronum... he groped in the mist for Sirius, and found his arm... they weren't going to take him... Now he needed to get to Skazzy...

But a pair of strong, clammy hands suddenly attached themselves around Harry's neck. They were forcing his face upward... He could feel its breath... It was going to get rid of him first... He could feel its putrid breath... His mother was screaming in his ears... She was going to be the last thing he ever heard...

And then, through the fog that was drowning him, he thought he saw a silvery light growing brighter and brighter... He felt himself fall forward onto the grass... Facedown, too weak to move, sick and shaking, Harry opened his eyes. The Dementor must have released him. The blinding light was illuminating the grass around him... The screaming had stopped, the cold was ebbing away...

Something was driving the Dementors back... No, two somethings. Or four… They were circling around him, Sirius, Skazzy, Ron, Amity and Hermione... The Dementors were leaving...

The air was warm again...

With every ounce of strength he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an four animals amid the light, one galloping away across the lake, two towards the group with the Minister, and one to the opposite side from the lake. Eyes blurred with sweat, Harry tried to make out what creature was headed across the lake. It was as bright as a unicorn... Fighting to stay conscious, Harry watched it canter to a halt as it reached the opposite shore. For a moment, Harry saw, by its brightness, somebody welcoming it back... raising his hand to pat it... someone who looked strangely familiar... but it couldn't be...

Harry didn't understand. He couldn't think anymore. He felt the last of his strength leave him, and his head hit the ground as he fainted.

* * *

When Dumbledore saw those particular students appear from underneath the Whomping Willow, he became almost positive about what was going on, what had happened to Buckbeak. It was just the number of people was a little off. They were too far away to see, but it looked as if there were the five students, and two other people. One of them walking in the back with Harry, and one manacled to the two red heads in the group. The one in between the younger Potter and Ron Weasley looked very familiar… and yet very different at the same time. The one in back, now that the group had managed to get further into the light of the full moon, was far more familiar.

Sirius Black.

Sirius Black who had never gotten a trial. Sirius Black who may have had a horrible injustice done to him. Sirius Black who was… not attacking Harry Potter, or Phoenix Potter, or any other students. Interesting. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a voice that he had long ago begun to tire of.

"Sirius Black! Send for the Dementors!" Cornelius Fudge screamed, looking around. Macnair cast a spell, and a black mass of Dementors began to congregate on the group.

"Cornelius, there are students there!" Dumbledore thundered, scared for his students and angry at the incompetent minister.

"They know to only take Black. It's the only way!" Fudge was hysterical. "Oh, we can't let him get away! What will the people think?"

"The Kiss on Sight order was rescinded," Dumbledore reminded him. Fudge shook his head.

"The public doesn't know… we can just say that the message didn't get to us in time..." Fudge began, eyes jumping between the group and the Dementors. Dumbledore scowled at the minister and began to move closer to the group.

"Do you know what students are in that group? What if the Dementors decide to act like they did at the quidditch game?" Dumbledore threw back to Fudge, raising his wand to cast a spell. Fudge interfered.

"No, no. We have their assurance. It wasn't going to happen again, they know to get Black and only Black! We have to let them do their job!" Fudge babbled, his concern for his office and his own safety outranking those of students, no matter who they were. "This is for the best."

"Cornelius Fudge, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disagree," came the voice of a brown haired woman, her eyes hard as she glared at the man. Dumbledore was surprised at her appearance and allowed himself to be momentarily distracted.

* * *

Deryn Fear was livid. Not only because of the fact that she was not a fan of either man in front of her, but of the event unfolding before her eyes. She could make out her daughter, who would be having a nice long conversation with her about abusing magical talismans, and friends in the group being attacked by Dementors.

At this point, it looked as if only two people were still able to cast spells, and neither one would be able to continue. Poor Amity was passed out, curled into a fetal position next to a brown haired girl that must have been the Hermione Granger she had read about. She was ready to rip Fudge to shreds over what she had heard, but the more prudent thing was saving her daughter.

So she ignored what ever the idiot in front of her was babbling about and focused on the Dementors. It looked as if there was only one last person casting in the group, and the student was being grabbed by a Dementor. Her blood boiled.

"I'm am going to do everything in my power to get you kicked out of office," she seethed, whipping out her wand and casting a patronus, using her memory of Amity's birth. Her chameleon patronus was joined by Dumbledore's phoenix patronus, as well as what appeared to be an additional two sent from opposite sides of the group of Dementors. One appeared to be some kind of antlered animal, and the other… she couldn't be seeing that one right.

The four patronuses caused the Dementors to flee. Dumbledore was racing down to the group, and Deryn allowed herself one parting shot at the minister while running off to assure herself that her daughter was not dead or soulless.

Again.

* * *

"I wonder how the public will feel knowing you were willing to sacrifice five students including the Potters to capture a man who has never been convicted of anything?"

Today was not going well at all. First, Cornelius had to stop people from yet again accessing the Potters' files. It was getting a bit ridiculous. After the first year, he thought people would understand that the file was not for anyone's eyes. Of course, he also didn't know where it was, but admitting that would be extremely not good for his image.

And then he was informed via owl that Deryn Fear had brought to the attention of Amelia Bones the fact that Sirius Black had never gotten a trial, and that she had the Kiss on Sight order rescinded _and_ had informed the Muggles. So that meant that he needed to go talk to Dumbledore because if the public found out that he hadn't bothered to check and see if Black had had a trial, they might become concerned for themselves. That would be terrible for public relations, and it wasn't as if Dumbledore wouldn't take a hit too. After all, he had been the Chief Warlock and on the Council of Magical Law at the time all of this had happened.

And then he received notice that the Muggle Prime Minister wanted to meet with him, and that was never a good sign. And finally Lucius Malfoy asked him to make sure that some creature was executed, and that meant he would have to spend all day at Hogwarts. Sometimes he hated the responsibilities that came with his job. Well, maybe more the fact that he mentioned to Lucius that he needed to head to Hogwarts. Otherwise he would not have been obligated to stay as long as he did.

And he wouldn't be in this situation. For the second time, the Dementors had _not followed their orders_. If the people weren't sure that the Ministry could control them, there would be widespread panic. Clearly, the issue would have to be settled quietly. Perhaps point the public towards Barty Crouch as responsible for all this for not doing his job twelve years earlier. That would be a good distraction while he worked with Mrs. Fear to keep everyone quiet about the second time the Dementors had decided to ignore orders. Especially since apparently two of the students were the Potters.

Really, being the minister was much harder than Bagnold had made it seem.

Maybe he could blame her too.

* * *

Walden Macnair cursed silently to himself when the Dementors were scared away from the group. It wasn't like it was any of his family, and after the disappointment of the day, he would have enjoyed watching some people lose their souls.

And if it was the Potters, all the better. Than, if the Dark Lord returned, he could claim responsibility. After all, he _had_ called the Dementors. Then he would move up in the hierarchy, perhaps over coming Lucius Malfoy. After all, all he had done was make a fool of himself and get kicked off the school board, and tried to get a hippogriff killed.

Really, Walden managed to do much more on a regular basis. Granted, he also happened to have a job. And he enjoyed representing the Ministry. He managed to alienate all those who were sentient and classified as beasts so that they would never side with the Ministry. He loved abusing his power.

Perhaps he should prepare another centaur raid. He was getting rather bored.

He followed the rest of the group up to the hospital wing, pondering who of the old crowd to invite, and who to blame it on if the centaurs actually went to the Ministry.

He ignored all the fighting going on between Dumbledore, Fudge, and the woman. It's not like it mattered. And maybe he'd get to kill Sirius Black.

That could curry favor with the Dark Lord.

* * *

Alfred Fenwick decided that he needed to retire. The whole night had been one fiasco after another. He was getting far too old for this. That, and he absolutely hated working with Macnair. That man enjoyed his job far too much. And had dropped one too many hints about knowing who had murdered his son Benjy.

Yes, he needed to retire, and possibly call in a few favors to get Macnair fired. Or perhaps put on a team to go put down a nundu where the rest of the team got accidentally lost. Or perhaps he could get Macnair assigned to a Dragon Preserve. He had a friend or two willing to let Macnair get eaten by a dragon.

He would retire and think about it.

Alfred wondered if he could go home now since everyone was inside. After all, Sirius Black and Dementors and students weren't his job. And now that everyone was in the hospital wing safe and sound, well, he wasn't needed anymore. And it didn't look like anyone was paying him any attention whatsoever. The Headmaster, the Minister, and the lady were in deep conversation, and Macnair had his usual coldness surrounding him. Too bad that petition to get him declared a Dementor had failed. He decided to leave the hospital wing and head home. He left his companions complaining or otherwise unharmed.

And he definitely wouldn't vote for Fudge for re-election. Not after tonight.

* * *

Peter ran aware from the Dementors as fast as his rat legs would let him, which wasn't much. Damn the Potter girl! She'd broken his arm. Oh well, as a rat he was safe from the Dementors, and small enough to hide in the forest. All he had to do was hide, then get his wand from its hiding place, and get out of the country. A nice, safe place no one could find him. Maybe a forest, where if there were other humans he could be a rat, and otherwise a human. Or maybe he would find another home with a wizard family. He'd just have to change his appearance somewhat.

Lose another finger? Maybe a few. Maybe cut off a bit of his ear?

None of this sounded rather appealing, but, as he glanced behind him, it was much better than being caught and given to the Dementors.

He briefly wondered what James and Lily would think of their young, blood-thirsty little monster-child. What thirteen year old is ready to kill someone? Even if said someone was responsible for the death of their parents. Also, wasn't she a Hufflepuff? Weren't they suppose to be nice and accepting? That was absolutely not nice and accepting.

There was something wrong when a Gryffindor was the voice of reason in a group. Or even a Potter. Usually it was Remus, almost never Sirius, and he had never spoken up enough. He had expected the Gryffindor girl to at least say something, or even the Hufflepuff girl. Wasn't the Hufflepuff girl usually able to control the younger Potter? He had heard the Gryffindor girl enough to know she would have frowned upon killing him. Well, at least until becoming absolutely sure he deserved it.

He hadn't thought Sirius had presented a strong enough case, but then again, he hadn't exactly represented himself well. Being terrified tended to throw him off his game though. Sirius had been right, he had managed a year of spying without anyone knowing. And he couldn't even get a group of kids to believe him over a crazy Azkaban escapee and an insane cat. He'd need to work on that.

And stay hidden. Definitely stay hidden.

Hadn't the Dark Lord said Albania was a nice place to be ignored?

* * *

Remus woke up with a pounding headache, wondering what had caused it. He bolted up as the last few minutes came back to him.

Phoenix Potter had attacked him with a chair leg. Sirius Black was with the Potters! Sirius must have imperiused Phoenix to attack him, and then tried to distract him by playing innocent. And he'd succeeded. Who knew what he had done to the kids. He rushed down the stairs, and out the door. He didn't have time to take the secret passage way. He could run faster outside, and who knew how long it had been.

Did anyone know they were missing? Had anyone thought to search for them? What were they doing out here?

Right, Hagrid's pet. That execution was today, wasn't it? Of course Harry, Hermione and Ron would want to go cheer Hagrid up. And Phoenix would follow her brother, and Amity, well, Amity probably came for Hagrid as well. She had a big heart. And was loyal to her friends. Maybe Phoenix had come for Hagrid.

Even as he thought that, he knew that the main reason Phoenix would be out of bed is because of her brother. But then, what had she been doing those weeks before? Harry hadn't been out of bounds... His blood chilled as a thought came to him.

Maybe Sirius Black had gotten to Phoenix in the beginning of the year. He had used her to distance Harry from people who could help him. It also explained why she was so hostile to someone she didn't know. The Imperius. One of the many tricks Voldemort had employed during the war. And with Black as his right hand...he surely would have cast it on people as well. No wonder he had never been caught. Phoenix had the map, hadn't wanted to give it up. She was mistrustful of him... and the whole scare at Christmas...

Alright, it was probably unlikely that Black had managed to get her hooked on potions from Azkaban, so maybe she really did start using them on her own. But, he absolutely he could have made it worse, forcing her to take more and more until she overdosed so bad. And maybe his goal was to lure Harry out on his own, but was interrupted by one of the creatures in the forest.

But why act now? If he had one of the Potters under his control for so long, why had he waited? Did he feel confident in his ability to control poor Phoenix? Maybe he was just waiting to lure everyone into a false sense of security and then try and take on Dumbledore as well. Maybe he was planning on becoming the next Dark Lord, since his old master had been defeated.

Remus started running faster, his heart pounding as he put together Black's plan in its entirety. He should have gone to Dumbledore, should have looked for the Map. He needed to save his students. He could only pray he wasn't too late...

Hold on there. Remus skidded to a halt, confused. There was a rat, limping away from Hogwarts. An awfully familiar rat. An awfully familiar rat that definitely should have been dead. Or if not dead, not hiding. Why would Peter pretend to be a rat for twelve years? Sirius had been in Azkaban, so there was no need to worry about him after a few days. There was really no reason an innocent person would hide for so long. Especially not as a human, and Peter loved eating and magic too much to stay away.

He looked between the limping rat, and Hogwarts.

Go after the maybe Peter, or after the definite Black?

Remus started running towards Hogwarts again. He was probably seeing things, he assured himself. Just imagining that it was just another monthly adventure back during Hogwarts. Where he didn't have the mind of a wolf, and Sirius Black was more dangerous than he was. He'd tell Dumbledore everything tomorrow, resign, and hope to Merlin that the students were okay, or that he could make it in time. There was nothing else he could do.

Remus refused to think about the fact that Sirius Black might be innocent.

That thought brought far too much pain to bear. Better that the Azkaban escapee deserved his sentence. Otherwise...

He just ran harder.

* * *

In the Room, the quill continued to move while the younger Unspeakable covered his ears and faced the wall.

"Don't you think you're a bit too old to be acting like that?" The elder Unspeakable asked as he watched the quill.

"I can't hear you, or any writing implement. Everything is lovely, and I'm eating some of my sister's pie. I'm playing with my nephews. All of my nephews and my niece. I'm yelling at my brother-in-law, avoiding my sister as she attacks me for it. It's a happy, normal day and I'm not dealing with crazy time shenanigans, and I'm not stuck in a room. I was smart and didn't take the offer that Agent Phantom gave me. And while I'm at it, neither did Agent Rock Squirrel, and we are all living happily. This room does not exist, I don't know who you are, and as far as I know Time cannot unravel," the younger Unspeakable said, losing himself in his day dream. "Actually, I don't know who you are. So instead, I don't know that you exist."

"You're an Unspeakable. There is no way you wouldn't have taken this assignment," the elder Unspeakable said, smiling as he watched the young Unspeakable do almost exactly what he himself did so many years before.

"I can't hear you. Did I mention I became an auror instead of an Unspeakable?" the younger one said, hands clenching over his ears in a useless display.

The elder Unspeakable shook his head and looked at the book where the quill was hovering.

Happened:

Peter Pettigrew takes the time to run away. Phoenix Potter breaks his arm. Harry and Phoenix Potter attempt to protect Amity Fear, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Sirius Black from the Dementors. Albus Dumbledore is initially detained by Cornelius Fudge such that almost all the students pass out. Cornelius Fudge is distracted by Deryn Fear. Deryn Fear and Albus Dumbledore cast two of the four patronuses that are responsible for chasing off the Dementors and prevent Harry Potter from losing his soul.

Remus Lupin runs past Peter Pettigrew, and tries to ignore the seed of doubt that meeting places in him.

Everyone who saw the Dementors and did not run away go to the Hospital Wing to drop off the five students and Sirius Black.

The elder Unspeakable just stared.

"I'm so glad those are not my children. They're probably giving their parents heart attacks," he said.

"And the sun is shining brightly and the world has never known evil ever," the younger Unspeakable continued, clenching his eyes tight so that he wouldn't be tempted to look around and see what happened.


	19. Let's Try This Again

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I'm glad you're all interested in what happens.

Heads up for some language

* * *

Skazzy felt comfortable, which was in general a bad sign. She couldn't remember why it might be a bad sign this time, but she figured it would come to her. At some point. She was going to go back to the nice blackness she had come from that she did not often get anymore since she wasn't allowed to take potions. Maybe what ever she did she should do more often. Unfortunately, she heard voices. Voices not talking in hushed tones, and arguing over a Dementor attack.

That brought her back to consciousness and she looked around for her brother. Apparently someone had learned, because he was in the bed to her right, also awake and seemingly more absorbed in the people talking.

"Absolutely not, Minister. I will escort him back to the Ministry holding cells while you arrange for a trial," came a hard, female voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it before. Not Mrs. Weasley, she'd spent enough time around her to know her voice.

She'd also probably be much louder, angrier and less hard. And probably not arguing with the minister about anything. Wasn't a teacher, or, wasn't one she knew. She finally decided to turn and look at the talking people, who were being strongly urged to move their conversation elsewhere.

Ah, Amity's mother. Right, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, trial, werewolf, Dementor attack. It all came flooding back to her. From both Amity's mother's calmness and Dumbledore's, she assumed that everyone had kept their soul. She looked around at everyone, and they were all awake and staring at the talking adults.

"I was informed that Sirius Black was here. And since I had already stated I would take his case, I came as soon as I knew that my client was here. My daughter owled me earlier this evening," Amity's mother answered in response to something the minister had said. "Do you want me to make it public that you are trying to interfere in justice?"

Amity looked confused as everyone stared at her. Amity had been with them from the time she had gotten the letter until they all passed out. There was no time for her to go and use an owl to contact her mother. Hermione looked confused, until something came to her. She put a finger to her mouth to signal Amity to say nothing, or to signal Ron to say nothing since he looked like he was about to say the exact same thing Skazzy had just figured out, that Amity could not have possibly sent that owl.

Either way, it was a signal. It also brought Dumbledore's attention to the now very awake group.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere? Maybe my office? There is a comfortable place we can leave Mr. Black and my Fawkes can watch over him to make sure he does not go anywhere or do anything he shouldn't," Dumbledore suggested, gesturing to the audience the adults now had. "Also, executioner Macnair, I believe you may return home. There is no more use for you here."

That was said in a very harsh tone, belaying the fact that Dumbledore did not like this man at all. The minister apparently looked around, and decided that he didn't want to discuss whatever he was discussing with Dumbledore and Mrs. Fear to be continued in front of them. "Indeed. Thank you, Headmaster, for offering your office up."

With that, the minister walked out of the hospital wing, followed by Macnair. The older guy had apparently already left. Madam Pomfrey was asked by Mrs. Fear to give her a minute of privacy with her daughter while Dumbledore seemed to mention something to Hermione. Dumbledore left, and Madam Pomfrey retired to her office for a little while.

"Amity, I'm very glad you sent me that owl. But we are going to have a long chat about misusing magical talismans before coming of age. Also, you should probably be at the entrance at around eleven thirty," Mrs. Fear told Amity, loud enough for everyone else in the hospital wing to hear. Ron and Harry shared a confused look with Skazzy while Amity shot a glance towards Hermione who was staring openly at Mrs. Fear. "While I'm at it, might I encourage other people to perhaps look into misuse of magical talismans?"

With that, Mrs. Fear left the hospital wing, and Madam Pomfrey came back out. She had several large blocks of chocolate floating in front of her, and floated them in front of each of the students. "I expect each of you to have eaten most of it, if not all of it before I return from dropping Black off at the Headmaster's office. And for Merlin's sake, could you five attempt to not end up here at the end of every year? I'm tempted to give Miss Weasley points simply for not being with you. At least one of you should have some survival sense."

Madam Pomfrey huffed and conjured a stretcher for Sirius before levatating it out the door. She was about to leave, when she turned around to stare at the two Potters.

"I'm locking this door as soon as I leave, so that none of you can even think of escaping," she warned before leaving the five students on their own in the locked hospital wing.

"So, anyone have any idea what anyone meant?" Ron asked, looking around at everyone. Harry shrugged, Skazzy just stared at him, while Hermione and Amity nodded. "Care to explain?"

"Not right now. Quick, we don't have much time," Hermione said, urging everyone to gather at her bed.

"Time for what?" Harry asked, while Skazzy was staring at Amity with a raised brow.

But Hermione was fumbling with the neck of her robes, pulling from beneath them a very long, very fine gold chain.

"Everyone, come here," she said urgently. "Quick!"

Harry and Ron moved toward her, completely bewildered. Amity moved faster, grabbing Skazzy who was hesitating. Hermione was holding the chain out. There was a tiny, sparkling hourglass hanging from it.

"Here —" She had thrown the chain around everyone's neck. "Ready?" she said breathlessly.

"What are we doing?" Harry said, completely lost.

"No, are you trying to kill us?" Skazzy asked since the chain barely fit around the five of them.

"Are you mental?" Ron asked. Hermione ignored everyone as she turned the hourglass over three times.

The dark ward dissolved. Skazzy had the sensation that she was flying very fast, backward. A blur of colors and shapes rushed past her, her ears were pounding, she caught sight of something shining that seemed to be staring at her and then felt solid ground beneath her feet, and everything came into focus again.

The five of them were in the deserted entrance hall and a stream of golden sunlight was falling across the paved floor from the open front doors. Harry, Ron and Skazzy looked wildly around at Hermione as the chain of the hourglass cutting into everyone's neck.

"Hermione, what —?"

"Can't breath,"

"Bloody hell,"

"In here!" Hermione seized Harry and Ron's arm and dragged them across the hall to the door of a broom closet, forcing the two Hufflepuffs to follow. She opened it, pushed the two boys inside among the buckets and mops, then slammed the door behind them the two Hufflepuffs.

"Still can't breathe," Skazzy said, and finally Hermione removed the chain from around everyone.

"What — how — Hermione, what happened?"

"We've gone back in time," Hermione whispered. "Three hours back..."

Ron and Harry stared at her, confused. Amity was examining the necklace, seemingly unsurprised at the revelation that Hermione was able to time travel. Skazzy was gasping for breath, when Hermione smacked her shoulder.

"Ow," Skazzy complained, rubbing her shoulder.

"You were being over dramatic," Hermione said, turning towards Harry and Ron.

"But —"

"Shh! Listen! Someone's coming! I think — I think it might be us!" Hermione had her ear pressed against the cupboard door. Amity and Ron leaned against the door as well, curious.

"Footsteps across the hall... yes, I think it's us going down to Hagrid's!" Hermione whispered.

"Are you telling me," Harry whispered, "that we're here in this cupboard and we're out there too?"

"Yes," said Hermione, her ear still glued to the cupboard door. "I'm sure it's us. It doesn't sound like an enormous group of people... and we're walking slowly because we're under the Invisibility Cloak and there's five of us… Yes, you can see a bit of robe hem at the doorway."

Hermione had inched the door open a bit, and everyone was struggling to see what was going on in the hall.

"Five people is too much for one cloak. We're going to have to get another," Skazzy said as they watched a little red and yellow hem walk out of the castle. "That looked remarkably funny. Good thing no one saw us. Except us?"

"Or, we could just not do things requiring an invisibility cloak," Amity pointed out.

Hermione sat down on an upturned bucket after closing the door, looking desperately anxious, but Harry and Ron wanted a few questions answered.

"Where did you get that hourglass thing?"

"Why didn't you tell us about it?"

"It's called a Time-Turner," Hermione whispered, "and I got it from Professor McGonagall on our first day back. I've been using it all year to get to all my lessons. Professor McGonagall made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone. She had to write all sorts of letters to the Ministry of Magic so I could have one. She had to tell them that I was a model student, and that I'd never, ever use it for anything except my studies... I've been turning it back so I could do hours over again, that's how I've been doing several lessons at once, see? But... I don't understand exactly what we're going to do. Or why all of us needed to go back. I understand Amity, so she can contact her mother and apparently tell her where to go, but the rest of us? And why now?"

Everyone stared at her shadowy face.

"There must be something that happened around now he wants us to change," Harry said slowly. "What happened? We were walking down to Hagrid's three hours ago..."

"This is three hours ago, and we are walking down to Hagrid's," said Hermione. "We just heard ourselves leaving..."

Harry frowned; he felt as though he were screwing up his whole brain in concentration.

"Irrelevant. Can we just think this through without people picking at how we refer to time?" Skazzy asked.

"That's it!" Ron said, excitement in his voice. "Hermione, we're going to save Buckbeak!"

"What?"

"Maybe we can even grab Pettigrew so that everyone will believe Sirius is innocent," Harry whispered excitedly.

From what Skazzy could see of Hermione's face, she looked terrified. "If we manage that without being seen, it'll be a miracle!"

"Well, we've got to try, haven't we?" said Harry. He stood up and pressed his ear against the door. "Doesn't sound like anyone's there... Come on, let's go."

"Wait, we need an attack plan," Ron said, pulling Harry back. "There's three things that need to happen here. One, Amity needs to contact her mom, and manage to avoid detection and be here when her mother gets here to point her to where she needs to go. Two, Buckbeak needs to get saved. Three, Pettigrew needs to be captured."

"Clearly Amity is on her own," Hermione said, Amity nodding.

"My mother didn't say anything about seeing anyone else. We're also going to need a place to meet up after everything happens, so we can get back to the hospital wing," Amity said.

"Right, so that's Amity. She stays in the castle," Harry said. "What about the rest of us?"

"We probably don't need all four of us to rescue Buckbeak," Hermione said reluctantly. "There's more of a risk of being seen. And you all must remember, you mustn't be seen by yourself. It's best if no one sees you."

"We'll take Pettigrew," Skazzy said, indicating her brother and herself. "Our family business. Plus, he got away on my watch."

"Mine too," Ron said, turning towards Skazzy. "Maybe I should go with you."

"That'd leave Hermione alone," Skazzy argued.

"Unless she went with Harry," Amity pointed out.

"I need to be there when the Dementors attack. I, I need confirmation abut something I saw," Harry said, pausing for a minute. "Ron, Skazzy and I can take Pettigrew. You and Hermione spent a lot of work trying to get Buckbeak off, you two take care of that."

"And I guess we meet back here to go back to the hospital wing," Skazzy said. Hermione hesitated. "Alright, what?"

"Maybe, we should all just try and get to one of the rooms close to the hospital wing as soon as we can. That way we aren't lingering somewhere people are likely to notice us," Hermione said reluctantly. "I can't stress this enough, but we cannot be noticed! Time will be all messed up!"

"Break," Harry joked, and the three girls smiled while Ron looked confused.

Harry pushed open the closet door. The entrance hall was deserted. As quietly and quickly as they could, they darted out of the closet. Amity headed towards the owlery and the others down the stone steps. The shadows were already lengthening, the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest gilded once more with gold.

"If anyone's looking out of the window..." Hermione squeaked, looking up at the castle behind them.

"We'll run for it," said Harry determinedly. "Straight into the forest, all right? We'll have to hide behind a tree or something and keep a lookout..."

"How would they even know something's wrong, we still have some time before we have to be in our dorms," Skazzy complained as the group huddled.

"Just listen to Hermione," Ron said. "Pretty sure she understands this more than us."

"Okay, but we'll go around by the greenhouses!' said Hermione breathlessly. "We need to keep out of sight of Hagrid's front door, or we'll see us! We must be nearly at Hagrid's by now!"

Still working out what she meant, Harry set off at a sprint, everyone behind him. They tore across the vegetable gardens to the greenhouses, paused for a moment behind them, then set off again, fast as they could, skirting around the Whomping Willow, tearing toward the shelter of the forest...

Safe in the shadows of the trees, Harry turned around; seconds later, Ron and Skazzy arrived beside him, panting. Hermione was last.

"Right," she gasped. "We need to sneak over to Hagrid's... Keep out of sight, Ron… And you two."

Hermione paused, staring at the two Potters. She gave both of them a quick hug, disengaging before Skazzy realized what had happened. "Good luck, and keep out of sight. You can't interfere with what we know has happened."

With that, Hermione and Ron were gone, leaving Harry and Skazzy alone.

"So I guess we get to wait," Skazzy said quietly, leaning against a tree. "This will be loads of fun."

"Well, I think we'll have plenty of time to talk," Harry said, settling down. "Want to start with last year? Or how about the year before?"

"Last year sounds better," Skazzy decided. "I'd prefer we all just pretend that the year before never happened."

"What happened?" Harry asked, his eyes piercing his sister.

"Absolutely nothing, I have no idea what year you are referring to and I won't ever say anything different," Skazzy dug her feet in. There was no way she was having this conversation with anyone. Ever. Over her own dead body. No matter what she thought a week ago.

Not happening.

* * *

Inside the Room, the elder continued to watch the book as the younger one continued to pretend he was anywhere else.

Happened:

Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Amity Fear, Harry Potter and Phoenix Potter go back in time three hours. They then split into three groups.

Well, this was probably going to take awhile. The elder settled in for an exhausting wait.

* * *

Amity hurried to the owlery, moving as quickly as she could while still staying hidden. This explained how Hermione had been in two places at once, although her mother seemed to think that it was dangerous to do this. She was definitely not looking forward to a talk about this with her mother, last year's had been bad enough. She made it to the owlery, and began looking for a scrap of paper, anything to write on.

Amity wanted to curse at herself. She didn't have her bag, or her supplies. And she didn't keep spare parchment on her. Quills yes, parchment no. She rifled through her pockets anyway, and pulled out the piece of paper her mother had written to her on. Seemed as good a thing to use as any, so she circled the 'seen Sirius Black', wrote her mother's name on it, and got Hedwig to deliver it to her mother. Before she finished attaching it to Hedwig, she paused. Owls take time to get places, and the chance that her mother managed to get the owl and still be able to get to Hogwarts in time...

Maybe... maybe Amity should just add a little detail. Just a small one. It couldn't hurt.

 _Great Hall, 11:30pm._

As she watched Hedwig leave, Amity let out a breath. Most of her part was done. Now she just had to wait for her mother. She wasn't as careful coming back down from the owlery, and ran into Heidi. She froze, not sure what to do. Heidi frowned.

"What are you doing out? It's nearly curfew," Heidi said, before looking around. "Where's Skazzy?"

"With her brother," Amity managed, her tongue feeling dry as she lied to the kind prefect. Heidi raised an eye and stared at Amity.

"This close to curfew, and you and I both know that you would be with Skazzy. Either that, or be waiting anxiously at the door to the common room waiting for Harry to deliver her," Heidi challenged.

"I really needed to send a message to my mother," Amity tried, telling part of the truth.

"It couldn't wait until tomorrow? She's not going to be able to do anything. There isn't enough time for her to do something today," Heidi countered. "Let me walk you to the dorms, so you don't get in trouble."

Amity walked in silence with Heidi for a little while, trying to think up an excuse. Nixie would have been able to come up with one, but then again, she generally needed one. Amity hadn't made a habit of breaking many rules. And she still got in a surprising amount of trouble for it. This was getting ridiculous. This made two for two getting into some kind of life-threatening danger.

Next time, she was so grabbing Ginny and forcing her to go through this.

"Feeling like telling me now?" Heidi asked conversationally as they walked down to the second floor. Amity paused.

Clearly she had already broken the 'don't be seen rule', and Heidi was generally a cool person, so maybe...

"Do you promise you'll believe me?" Amity asked, stopping and staring at Heidi.

* * *

Bloody hell.

Heidi should have learned by now that anything involving a certain red head, her brother, and their friends would be overly complicated and against the rules and dangerous. Heidi should really stop asking questions of those two. But Heidi was a Hufflepuff, and that meant she always tried to do her job to the best of her abilities, working hard. And part of her job was checking up on the younger years, especially the one who had tendency to not be where she needed to be at anytime of day.

She listened to Amity's tale, which sounded both incredible and absolutely believable. She had clearly spent too much time with the Potters if she thought that a story involving time travel, a not dead dead man pretending to be a pet rat that faked its death, an escaped convict who had never been convicted, a werewolf professor, a hippogriff execution, and a swarm of Dementors made sense. After all, giving a student the ability to time travel just to take more classes? Definitely not a Hufflepuff thing. A pet rat living in Hogwarts for years actually being an unregistered animagus as well as pretending to be dead? Far fetched although she would have given Amity the fact that the rat had lived longer than expected even before knowing Skazzy Potter. The Ministry of Magic doing a miscarriage of justice? Alright, that one was also pretty believable, but only because it was the ministry. And that would explain Professor Lupin's sickness and the strange essay they had been assigned by Professor Snape. But put them all together and you get one hell of a strange story, a story that was overly complicated, impractical, and... very Gryffindor. Heidi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose while Amity looked up at her with her earnest eyes.

"You and Skazzy are going to be the death of me," Heidi said, turning away from Amity. "I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be right back."

Heidi walked into the bathroom, splashed water on her face, and stared at her reflection. "What is it about Potters that makes things overly complicated?"

She waited a few more minutes before casually strolling out of the bathroom and continuing down to the dorm. Now, to cover for Skazzy and Amity during bed checks...

Wait, Amity had given her the perfect story. They were both in the hospital wing, sick. Everyone would just assume Skazzy had a relapse, and Amity caught her. Skazzy might not like that story, but it isn't as if she was trying to make friends.

And whatever happened tonight would be all over the school tomorrow. Or, she could get Amity to tell her as a favor for covering for her.

* * *

Ron and Hermione made their way silently through the trees, keeping to the very edge of the forest. Then, as they glimpsed the front of Hagrid's house, they heard a knock upon his door. They moved quickly behind a wide oak trunk and peered out from either side. Hagrid had appeared in his doorway, shaking and white, looking around to see who had knocked. And they heard Harry's voice.

"It's us. We're wearing the Invisibility Cloak. Let us in and we can take it off."

"Yeh shouldn've come!" Hagrid whispered. He stood back, then shut the door quickly.

"This is the weirdest thing we've ever done," Ron said fervently.

"Let's move along a bit," Hermione whispered. "We need to get nearer to Buckbeak!"

They crept through the trees until they saw the nervous Hippogriff, tethered to the fence around Hagrid's pumpkin patch.

"Now?" Ron whispered.

"No!" said Hermione. "If we steal him now, those Committee people will think Hagrid set him free! We've got to wait until they've seen he's tied outside!"

"That's going to give us about sixty seconds," said Ron. This was starting to seem impossible. At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin.

"That's Hagrid breaking the milk jug," Hermione whispered. "I'm going to find Scabbers in a moment —"

Sure enough, a few minutes later, they heard Hermione's shriek of surprise. "Hermione," said Ron suddenly, "why can't we just run in?"

"No!" said Hermione in a terrified whisper. "Don't you understand? We're breaking one of the most important wizarding laws! Nobody's supposed to change time, nobody!"

"We'd only be seen by ourselves and Hagrid!"

"Ron, what do you think you'd do if you saw yourself bursting into Hagrid's house?" said Hermione.

"I'd — I'd think I'd gone mad," said Ron, "or I'd think there was some Dark Magic going on —"

"Exactly! You wouldn't understand, you might even attack yourself! Don't you see? Professor McGonagall told me what awful things have happened when wizards have meddled with time... Loads of them ended up killing their past or future selves by mistake!"

"Alright!" said Ron. "It was just an idea, I just thought, you know..."

But Hermione nudged him and pointed toward the castle. Ron moved his head a few inches to get a clear view of the distant front doors. Dumbledore, Fudge, the old Committee member, and Macnair the executioner were coming down the steps.

"We're about to come out!" Hermione breathed.

And sure enough, moments later, Hagrid's back door opened, and Ron saw Harry, Amity, Skazzy, himself, and Hermione walking out of it with Hagrid. It was, without a doubt, the strangest sensation of his life, standing behind the tree, and watching himself in the pumpkin patch.

"It's Okay, Beaky, it's okay..." Hagrid said to Buckbeak. Then he turned to group. "Go on. Get goin'."

"Hagrid, we can't..."

"We'll tell them what really happened..."

"They can't kill him..."

"Are you sure we can't free..."

"Go! It's bad enough without you lot in trouble an' all!"

Harry watched the Hermione in the pumpkin patch throw the Invisibility Cloak over the group.

"Go quick. Don' listen..."

There was a knock on Hagrid's front door. The execution party had arrived. Hagrid turned, around and headed back into his cabin, leaving the back door ajar. Harry watched the grass flatten in patches all around the cabin and heard five pairs of feet retreating. Everyone had gone... but the Ron and Hermione hidden in the trees could now hear what was happening inside the cabin through the back door.

"Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair. "Out — outside," Hagrid croaked.

Ron pulled his head out of sight as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Then they heard Fudge.

"We — er — have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, You're supposed to listen too, that's procedure-"

Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.

"You or me?" Hermione asked Ron.

"I'll do it," Ron said, moving towards Buckbeak.

As Fudge's voice started again, Ron darted out from behind his tree, vaulted the fence into the pumpkin patch, and approached Buckbeak carefully.

"It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the Hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall he executed on the sixth of June at sundown—"

Careful not to blink, Ron stared up into Buckbeak's fierce orange eyes and bowed, sweating. He really hoped that Buckbeak was willing to go quietly, and didn't decide to take offense. Buckbeak sank to his scaly knees and then stood up again. Ron began to fumble with the knot of rope tying Buckbeak to the fence.

"... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnair..."

"Come on, Buckbeak," Ron murmured, "come on, we're going to help you. Quietly... quietly..."

"... as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here..." Ron threw all his weight onto the rope, but Buckbeak had dug in his front feet.

"Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside —"

"No, I — I wan' ter be with him... I don' wan' him ter be alone —" Footsteps echoed from within the cabin. "Buckbeak, move!" Ron hissed.

Ron tugged harder on the rope around Buckbeak's neck. The Hippogriff began to walk, rustling its wings irritably. They were still ten feet away from the forest, in plain view of Hagrid's back door.

"One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too." The footsteps stopped. Ron heaved on the rope. Buckbeak snapped his beak and walked a little faster.

Hermione's white face was sticking out from behind a tree. "Ron, hurry!" she mouthed.

Ron could still hear Dumbledore's voice talking from within the cabin. He gave the rope another wrench. Buckbeak broke into a grudging trot. They had reached the trees...

"Quick! Quick!" Hermione moaned, darting out from behind her tree, seizing the rope too and adding her weight to make Buckbeak move faster. Ron looked over his shoulder; they were now blocked from sight; they couldn't see Hagrid's garden at all.

"Stop!" he whispered to Hermione. "They might hear us."

Hagrid's back door had opened with a bang. Ron, Hermione, and Buckbeak stood quite still; even the Hippogriff seemed to be listening intently. Silence... then —

"Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?" "It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. "I saw it! Just here!" "How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice. "Beaky!" said Hagrid huskily.

There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger. And then came the howling, and this time they could hear Hagrid's words through his sobs.

"Gone! Gone! Bless his little beak, he's gone! Musta pulled himself free! Beaky, yeh clever boy!"

Buckbeak started to strain against the rope, trying to get back to Hagrid. Ron and Hermione tightened their grip and dug their heels into the forest floor to stop him.

"No, bad things will happen if you go back," Ron whispered to Buckbeak, trying to get him to stop.

"Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest."

"Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."

"O' — o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in..."

Ron and Hermione listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

"Now what?" whispered Harry, looking around. "We'll have to hide in here," said Hermione, who looked very shaken. "We need to wait until they've gone back to the castle. Then... we need to figure out what to do with Buckbeak. Oh, why didn't Dumbledore say anything!"

She looked nervously over her shoulder into the depths of the forest. The sun was setting now. Ron was watching the hut, waiting for them to leave.

"Hermione, why were they here so long?" he asked. Hermione turned to him, questioning look in her eyes. "I mean, we just left, and we're going through everything at the Shack, but why did it take them so long to go back to the castle?"

The two of them got their answer when they heard Fudge and Macnair talking while coming out of Hagrid's.

"It's entirely possible it managed to free itself and is nearby. Since it's such a danger, we should at least make sure we cannot find it before leaving," Macnair's voice came.

"Alright, if you want to search the area, I don't see why you can't. But the Headmaster was right that it would make more sense for the beast to fly away," the minister replied, looking around the back of Hagrid's hut.

"I'm sure that Lucius Malfoy would feel much better about Draco staying here if I checked the area to make sure no one was trying to...protect the creature..." Macnair trailed off, preparing to check the area.

"Yes, yes. Of course. I forgot how young Draco must feel," Fudge said quickly. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

This, was not a good sign.

* * *

"Skaz, it's pretty obvious that something happened. You said you'd tell me," Harry pointed out, trying to keep his anger at his sister's insistence on keeping it to herself at bay. "I come back and you have a broken arm, and when I told you that we'd have to come back after your first year you were just..."

"I'm sure you were also devastated to find out that our dream of escaping the Dursley's early was dashed. And I've had worse than a broken arm. We both have," Skazzy pointed out.

"Something happened, you were more vicious this summer," Harry said, folding his arms as they watched Ron and Skazzy appear out of no where, run into Sirius, and into the tunnel.

"If something had happened, wouldn't I be more vicious the year before as well?" Skazzy pointed out, trying to avoid the topic.

"Unless a year away actually gave you the belief we could get away, that Hogwarts was real," Harry said.

"You were gone. That was real," Skazzy said.

"You know what I mean," Harry said, giving her an exasperated glare.

"Can we just...move on? Forget it? Please?" Skazzy begged.

"It can't possibly be good for you to keep it to yourself," Harry cajoled.

"I will take care of it," Skazzy said, becoming more defensive. "It happened, I don't need a reminder. I don't need to relive it. I _will_ fix the problem."

Harry watched his sister, tottering between leaving it be and pressing for more. "We never had secrets."

"No, we haven't. Look, I just wanted to stop having nightmares, that's why I started taking the potion. And it worked, and then it escalated. It was just, you know how nice it is to just...not deal with everything for awhile. It was an accident, after we got back from Hogsmeade I just...needed to forget because it sounded as if the only reason I was alive was the same reason we grew up where we did, and it was just a blur. And sleeping generally helps, and not dreaming is even better, and I wasn't paying attention to how much I took," Skazzy's words ran together as she ran a hand through her hair. "It was just easier than dealing with everything."

"You couldn't talk to me?" Harry asked, hurt.

"It started back when I was trying to not let you know how...how Hogwarts was for me. I didn't want you to worry about something you couldn't control. Look, if I tell anyone, it would be you. But not this. Not yet at least. I can't promise I'll ever talk about it, but if I do, you would know," Skazzy said earnestly, wishing her words could actually explain everything. She didn't want Harry to worry about her. "I'd go to you about things now."

"Never again?" Harry asked, after a pause where the two stared at each other.

"Promise. No potions, I'll deal in a healthier way," Skazzy promised. Harry gave her one last glance before sighing.

"Alright."

The two of them waited in silence for everyone to come back out for a bit, before Skazzy remembered what Harry had mentioned earlier.

"What do you need to confirm?"

"I thought...I thought I saw someone send a patronus and he looked..." Harry trailed off.

"He looked..." Skazzy prompted when it looked like Harry had lost his train of thought.

"He looked like Dad. And if Pettigrew survived..."

"Maybe Dad. I remember someone jumping out of a bush, but why show up now? Why not earlier?" Skazzy trying to puzzle it out.

"Maybe he forgot, or, or, some kind of a spell or something. Maybe Voldemort sent him to the future," Harry guessed.

"Why? What would that serve? 'I'll send you to the future so you can suffer?'" Skazzy poked at the theory. Harry scowled.

"It'd be nice," he said.

"I'm pretty sure our lives don't do nice. Do you think..." Skazzy started, pausing.

"I think what?" Harry asked.

"Sirius, he said, he was suppose to take care of us. Do you think if he gets off, we could..." Skazzy didn't want to actually say the words, because that was like hoping and she didn't want to get her hopes up.

"I...don't know. Would he even want to?" Harry asked.

"No idea," Skazzy answered.

They watched as Remus Lupin went down the tunnel as well.

"Did Dumbledore tell Hermione where to, uh, put Buckbeak?" Skazzy asked. Harry shrugged.

"I assume so, since she volunteered," he said. "Come on, let's move up towards the lake."

"But she didn't know why at first. Ron was the one who said it must be Buckbeak," Skazzy furrowed her brows.

"Point. well, we can't go over to them and find out what is going on," Harry said. "At some point we'll come out from the tunnel."

"I hope Hermione can think of something," Skazzy said, glancing over towards Hagrid's hut.

"Or Ron," Harry agreed.

* * *

"Okay, I think we're safe here," Ron said, deeper in the Forbidden Forest than he would have liked to be. "Do we leave him here?"

"What if Aragog..." Hermione started, when Ron shivered.

"Alright. What are we going to do with him?"

"I don't know, this is highly illegal..." Hermione fretted.

"Hermione, name a year at Hogwarts we didn't do something highly illegal," Ron said, smiling. Hermione gently punched him in the arm.

"Next year?" Hermione said, eyes watering even as she smiled.

"With the Potters around? Unlikely," Ron said. They remained quiet, waiting. "Hopefully if we don't make it back in time, they can make an excuse for us."

"How are they going to excuse Buckbeak?" Hermione challenged. "If we make it back, we'll have him with us. He'll be a bit hard to hide in the hospital wing."

"Shh..." Ron quieted Hermione, moving forward a bit. He slipped between the trees, and then came back. "Alright, they're done searching, don't want to go any farther in the dark. Either that, or Professor Dumbledore told them off."

"Ok, so that means..." Hermione said.

"It's almost time for the giant showdown."

* * *

A beautiful snowy owl delivered a message to Agent Valkyrie. She looked at it, and cursed. Good thing she was working late tonight. She left the 'Love' room to enter the rest of the Department. She went to the Time room, and grabbed a Time-Turner of her own before going back into the "Love" room.

"Someone tell Agent Phantom Agent Valkyrie is taking a Time-Turner for the night, it'll be back tomorrow along with a report," she called into the room filled only with non-scab agents.

"Is it urgent?" one of the other agents asked, taking down a note and sending it off even as she asked.

"Well, I've got a note with a time, and I'm pretty sure I can't apparate to Hogwarts in two minutes. So, I think I already did it," Agent Valkyrie grimaced. "Good news, I'm almost positive we'll be getting our lost Time-Turner back."

"Will there be an interesting report on the process of getting that back?" asked a different agent, looking up from his station.

"Probably," Agent Valkyrie said before she left the Department completely. She quickly apparated to her house to change into more appropriate robes for a lawyer, yelled off that she had a business call to her husband, and departed for Hogwarts.

It was time to get her show on the road, and begin the process of taking people down.

That, and she was quite sure that Amity and her friends were doing something incredibly stupid and/or dangerous.

Again.

* * *

Amity hovered in the empty closet, waiting for her mother to arrive. This was torture, although at least she wasn't stuck trying to rescue Buckbeak, or capture Pettigrew. There was far more riding on those jobs than this one.

Well, okay, granted her mother did come in time to help save the group from Dementors, but they had already survived, so they knew they were safe...right?

Time travel was confusing. And why didn't her mother tell her about Time-Turners, or their possible dangers earlier? Sometimes, Amity just didn't understand her mother. Her father shrugged and said lawyers were strange creatures.

She crossed lawyer off her mental list of jobs she might be interested in doing. Of course, if things like this kept happening, it would be a toss up whether she'd make it to graduation alive, whole, and sane. Then again, there was this strange feeling about the Potters and their friends that kept bringing her back to them. Maybe her life would be easier if she had never become friends with Nixie, but than it would have been unlikely that she would have met Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She had heard the whispers of how odd it was that those three hung out with two Hufflepuffs when they barely even socialized inside their house. And she enjoyed her friendship with Hermione.

She was brought out of her ruminations by the door to the entrance being opened. She rushed out of the closet before she even knew it was her mother. Who else could it be?

"Amity, we're going..."

"You need to go down towards Hagrid's hut, it will be pretty clear what's going on," Amity rushed out, pushing her mother back out the door. "Sirius Black is in trouble with the minister."

"Fine. But we _will_ be having a talk," her mum said, turning and going back out the doors.

There, her job was complete. Now to get to the hospital wing unnoticed... At least she was already in the castle...

* * *

"Can you see what's going on?" Ron asked Hermione, who had darted up a little closer to the action.

"The Dementors are coming at us, but we're running to the tree," she said, turning a little so her voice could carry back to him.

Ron sighed, feeling annoyed at how slowly everything was going. That, and he and Hermione still hadn't decided what they should do with Buckbeak yet. Or how they'd get to the hospital wing. He leaned against a tree while Buckbeak dug a claw into the dirt, clearly just as bored. To his surprise, he noticed a wolf stop running right in front of him.

"Uh, Hermione?" Ron said, staring at the wolf.

"What Ron?" Hermione said, not turning away from what was going on.

"You sure he's safe?" Ron asked, hiding behind Buckbeak.

"Buckbeak? Why would you ask that question now?" Hermione asked in surprise, turning around. "Oh. Professor?"

The wolf, werewolf, nodded its head.

"You took your potion, right?" Hermione asked hesitantly. The werewolf nodded again, and looked around. "If you're looking for everyone else, they are, uh, over there."

She pointed towards the mass of Dementors. The werewolf started to run over there, but then turned to look back at Hermione and Ron.

"Long story," Ron said, still hiding behind Buckbeak.

* * *

Buckbeak hadn't been with them when they were in the Shack. And why weren't they with everyone else? Wouldn't it have made more sense for everyone to be together? Or had Black made them split up. Maybe he had them all under control...

But why would he bother to save Hagrid's pet? Something wasn't making sense. A possible Peter sighting, Ron and Hermione with Buckbeak and away from Sirius Black and the other three. Why had Black left witnesses? This wasn't making any sense. Remus skidded to a halt as he reached the lake. He could feel the Dementors coming, and backed away. There wasn't much he could do against Dementors while he was a wolf. After all, he couldn't use his wand. He watched the group anxiously.

There was Amity and... Hermione? But he just saw... Never mind, clearly the knock on his head made him a little out of it. Phoenix and Harry were trying to cast the patronus spell, although Harry was having more luck than Phoenix, who had just dropped her wand. He noticed a group of people further up the hill, and wanted to howl at them, ask them why they were allowing the students to be placed in danger. Finally he saw two patronuses come from the people on the hill, one from across the lake, and another from the opposite side... Was that... Harry? Saving Harry? It looked like Prongs, the one that came from the being who looked a lot like either Harry or James Potter. Phoenix must have hit him harder than he expected. He would have to have Madam Pomfrey look at him tomorrow.

Remus Lupin trotted back into the forest, to stay out of the way.

Something wasn't making sense, and he wouldn't be able to get answers until tomorrow.

But how could Sirius Black have controlled Harry to cast a patronus after being knocked out?

* * *

"Okay, this is our chance to get Pettigrew," Skazzy said, standing up and preparing to grab him.

"I need to go over there," Harry said distractedly, jogging over to the other side of the lake. "You know, just in case?"

Skazzy wavered. She wanted to know, although not as much as Harry did, whether it was their father. But on the other hand, Pettigrew would be coming any minute now...

"You might need this," came a voice from behind her. Skazzy turned around. There was a strange girl with golden hair, and mica in her skin? She was holding out a camera, left side of her face facing away.

"The hell are you?" Skazzy asked.

"Peter needs to get free, but Harry will not understand. And both of you will always wonder..." the girl said.

"That's not an answer to the question I asked. Who are you?" Skazzy asked, taking the camera anyway.

"Quick, don't want to miss Pettigrew changing!" the girl pointed. Skazzy whirled around, and managed to take the shot while Peter was in the midst of changing.

"Are you going to..." Skazzy turned as Pettigrew ran past her. The girl wasn't there anymore. "Ok... did that just happen?"

Silver light flashed behind her and she turned to see that a patronus was coming from the other side of the lake. She tried to make out who it was, but it was hard to see. Maybe if she waited...

The patronus, after helping other patronuses keep the Dementors away, cantered back towards whoever sent it. Now she would be able to see...

The patronus cast light on her brother's clothes, and Skazzy closed her eyes. "You knew it wasn't likely to be your father, why'd you have to go and get your hopes up?"

"You and Harry should meet up with Ron and Hermione, fly the hippogriff up to the hospital wing. Someone's going to have to open the door for Amity," the golden girl was back.

"Who the hell are you?" Skazzy shot back.

"Does it really matter? Return Colin's camera to him, would you? Oh, and I'll take care of Buckbeak," the girl said, still facing away from her.

"It does matter. I don't trust you. You appear out of nowhere, act all knowing... Who the fuck are you?" Skazzy asked. The girl paused, still looking away from her.

"It doesn't really matter if you trust me or not. You're going to do what I said. And...we'll meet again," The girl said before disappearing.

"That's not a fucking answer," Skazzy muttered to herself before turning around to see her brother jogging back.

"It was me, not Dad. I cast the stag patronus, so it was like Dad was here," Harry said out of breath. He looked around, confused. "Where's Pettigrew?"

"An excellent question. I have a picture," Skazzy answered, holding up the camera.

Harry frowned. "You were suppose to catch Pettigrew. Where did you get the camera?"

"Uh, Colin? Look, something weird happened, and this crazy golden girl showed up, gave me the camera, distracted me from catching Pettigrew but not from taking a picture and is going to take care of Buckbeak... I sound barmy," Skazzy stopped. Harry nodded, hiding a smile. "She had a good suggestion. We use Buckbeak to fly to the hospital. You go find Hermione and Ron."

Harry nodded and turn towards the woods.

"I'm going insane. I don't even know how to summon a camera, or make a camera. Where did the camera come from?" Skazzy asked herself, staring at the only proof in her hands that she had actually witnessed something. Suddenly, she felt the same familiar feeling of coldness she had just escaped. She looked up, exasperated.

"Really. Really? A fucking Dementor is going to get me now? Why don't you go and steal the soul of the guy with an axe. He doesn't need it," She sniped, angry and shivering and definitely in no shape to summon a patronus. The Dementor hovered for a minute, before turning and leaving. Skazzy just stared after it.

"The hell? Do Dementors understand English? Why...You know what, this whole day must not have happened. I'm going to wake up tomorrow, and this will have been a crazy, insane dream brought on by stress, or that 'dealing with feelings naturally' thing. There is no way this is real," Skazzy decided. The dog wasn't Sirius Black, the rat wasn't Peter Pettigrew, she hadn't just had a camera handed to her by some random girl, and she hadn't scared a Dementor off, or told a Dementor off. Which ever it was. It just... hadn't happened.

"Ready?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione were behind her. She nodded and they began to walk closer to where the hospital was, while still keeping to the forest. Soon Hermione indicated that they would be able to fly up to the hospital wing.

"Can we all fit?" Skazzy asked, looking at the hippogriff warily. Harry looked at Buckbeak, bowing and getting a bow in return.

"No, I'll take Hermione and Ron up, and then come back down for you, and then we'll figure out what to do with Buckbeak," Harry decided. Skazzy nodded as Harry, Hermione and Ron got onto Buckbeak's back. It was a close fit, but they managed. Skazzy just looked at the camera.

"This doesn't make sense," she muttered to herself again. Harry had flown down, and Skazzy stood before the hippogriff. She bowed, as she had learned she would need to do, and received a bow in return. Harry helped her on behind him, and they flew up to the window. This time, Buckbeak decided he wanted to be in the castle as well, and landed in the hospital wing. Harry and Skazzy got off of him, and Skazzy looked around the room. Empty, except for...was that Macnair? On a bed, staring vacantly at the ceiling? He hadn't been there before they left.

"Oh, yeah. As far as everyone else is concerned, he's always been like that. Weird, I know. Something's wrong with what Hermione's been told, but I never did figure it out," came the voice of the girl. Skazzy went to turn around and found herself frozen. Everyone seemed frozen. "Yeah, benefit. Can't do it much, takes a lot of power, but Buckbeak needs to leave. Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. In fact, he'll be right back here with no one the wiser but Hagrid. Oh, and you."

As soon as Skazzy could move, she turned around although Hermione's gasp already told her what she would find.

"He vanished! Buckbeak vanished! I guess Professor Dumbledore did have everything planned," Hermione said, holding her hands to her mouth.

"Yeah, everything," Skazzy said, tossing the camera on her bed and lying down.

"I'll let Amity in, and then we eat this chocolate?" Hermione said, eyeing the giant mountain. "At least only Macnair lost his soul and not one of us."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Skazzy asked, rubbing her head. "It's been such a weird night..."

"He was in the back of the group going to the school, and a lone Dementor went up to him, Kissed him, and then left. The minister was very upset," Hermione answered, letting Amity back in the room.

"After that, Mum and Professor Dumbledore kept their patronuses out," Amity added. "So, where's Pettigrew?"

"Long story, but I have pictures," Skazzy answered when everyone turned towards her.

"Quick, I head people coming back," Ron said. Hermione locked the door, and got into her bed. Just in time for the minister and Amity's mother to come back.

"Yes, the Dementors will be sent back to Azkaban immediately," Fudge was saying, a hassled look on his face.

"I do hope there will be an inquiry and a re-examination of our contract with them," Amity's mom said.

"Yes there will. I don't like this situation any more than anybody," Fudge said, exasperated.

"Just doing my job, Minister. Now, you have to deal with Macnair, and I need to talk to my daughter," Amity's mom said, turning away from the minister. Fudge gently guided a vacant Macnair out of the hospital wing.

"That was very, very dangerous. Do you know what could have gone wrong?" Amity's mother asked everyone.

"We could have..." Skazzy started before Amity placed her hand over her mouth.

"We know. We won't do it again," Amity promised.

"Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

"He'll be tried tomorrow," Amity's mother said, turning towards Harry.

"He's innocent," Harry said fiercely.

"I can go that route. Technically there is only one person with any memory of that day, since there are still old laws on the books preventing a Noble and Most Ancient family from being convicted using information gathered from muggles. What was it, they only found a finger? If it was cauterized, it is entirely possible to live without it. So, with no actual body..." Amity's mother trailed off.

"No, Mum. We saw Peter Pettigrew. Alive. He isn't dead, and Sirius didn't blow everything up," Amity said, looking at her mom earnestly.

"Cariad, unless you have proof, I can't do anything with those memories. Children's memories, no matter who they belong to, aren't permissible," Amity's mother said, raising her hands helplessly.

"Can you develop film?" Skazzy asked, eyeing the camera.

"Muggle or wizard?" Amity's mother asked.

"Wizard. I think I got a picture of Peter," Skazzy said, shoving the camera into Amity's mother's hands. Amity's mother turned it around in her hand.

"If you did, then that is allowed as evidence. It would be the evidence introduced against him. I'll get this back to you after the trial. If you managed to get the picture, you are ensuring a better chance for his freedom," Amity's mother mused. "I need to prepare for my case tomorrow. All of you get some sleep."

Amity's mother left the hospital wing and turned off the lights.

"I guess we wait for morning to figure out what to do," Harry said. "Night."

There was a round of 'night's from everyone, and then silence in the hospital wing.

Sleeping would be very hard for everyone.

* * *

The quill finished writing for the day and lay itself down. The elder Unspeakable gulped.

"Bad news, I think we have a time changer," he said, poking the younger Unspeakable out of his daydream.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking at the latest entry.

Happened:

Amity Fear sent an owl to her mother Deryn Fear and sent her to where she needed to be.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley save Buckbeak from death.

Harry Potter and ******* help to save Sirius Black, Harry Potter, Phoenix Potter, Amity Fear, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from Dementors.

******* annoys and helps Phoenix Potter.

"The unnamed being? Is that it?" the younger Unspeakable asked, trying to find out what was freaking the elder out.

"No, that I've never seen before. It's this older passage. It's changed," the elder Unspeakable pointed to the passage.

Happened:

Peter Pettigrew takes the time to run away. Phoenix Potter breaks his arm. Harry and Phoenix Potter attempt to protect Amity Fear, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Sirius Black from the Dementors. Albus Dumbledore is initially detained by Cornelius Fudge such that almost all the students pass out. Cornelius Fudge is distracted by Deryn Fear. Deryn Fear and Albus Dumbledore cast two of the four patronuses that are responsible for chasing off the Dementors and prevent Harry Potter from losing his soul.

Remus Lupin runs past Peter Pettigrew, and tries to ignore the seed of doubt that meeting places in him.

Everyone who saw the Dementors and did not run away go to the Hospital Wing to drop off the five students and Sirius Black.

Walden Macnair is Kissed and loses his soul.

"What about it?" the younger Unspeakable asked, frowning. Nothing looked wrong.

"Macnair wasn't kissed before. That line was added after the passage was written. Someone changed time, in the changed timeline. That's not good," the elder Unspeakable explained.

"I can't say I'm sorry to hear about his soullessness. But the nameless being, what could that mean?" the younger Unspeakable asked.

"I have no idea."

* * *

Fate was surprised. This being was...unexpected. Unheard of even, but definitely good for Fate. A being who was no longer bound to Time? A being Time would never be able to see? All the possibilities the being had, and no idea how to use them. And even though Time would be unable to know that Fate had communicated directly with the being, the being was not hidden from the All-Father.

No. Fate could be patient. Time was going to unravel faster, faster than she expected, although not as fast as Fate would like. But this new being worked in Fate's favor.

Fate smiled. The game was picking up.

* * *

Time frowned. Something was wrong. She was unraveling and...flashing? Something was out of her reach, no longer bound by her rules. A human had become Timeless. And she had no idea who, or when. She just knew that this Timeless being had started to interfere.

The people in her Room had better hurry. This could only end in disaster if it wasn't fixed soon enough.

* * *

A girl smiled as she watched over the five people in the hospital wing, a golden eye flashing in the dark.

"And you have no clue what's in store. Not a clue. But I do. And I have changes to make, oh yes. Changes. This time, things will go better."


	20. Beginning of the End

AN: Last Chapter of book 2! Thanks for sticking with me.

Disclaimer: Still fail to own recognizable things

* * *

No one in the hospital wing slept very well, especially when Madam Pomfrey returned to discover that none of them had eaten their chocolate. They were forced to eat it and then return to sleep. They were up at dawn the next day, fidgeting and nervous. Madam Pomfrey kept them in the hospital for 'observation' until noon. By then, everyone above second year had left for Hogsmeade, although none of the five could stand to go. Instead, they went out to the lake, to talk amongst themselves about what happened.

They watched the giant squid be lazy in the water, and took a break from conversation. Ginny, a second year and also not in Hogsmeade, had joined them and she and Amity were playing in the edge of the water.

A shadow fell across them and they looked up to see a very bleary-eyed Hagrid, mopping his sweaty face with one of his tablecloth-sized handkerchiefs and beaming down at them.

"Know I shouldn' feel happy, after wha' happened las' night," he said. "I mean, Macnair losin' his soul, an, everythin' — but guess what?"

"What?" they said, pretending to look curious.

"Beaky! He escaped! He's free! Bin celebratin' all night!"

"That's wonderful!" said Hermione, giving Ron a reproving look because he looked as though he was close to laughing.

"Yeah... can't've tied him up properly," said Hagrid, gazing happily out over the grounds. "And then this mornin', he came back. And had a letter on 'im. Said I should die his wings an' give him a new name, an' no one will notice. So I died his feathers brown, and calling him Witherwing."

"What?" said Harry quickly.

"I know, righ'? Someone was nice last night, saving an innocent hippogriff," Hagrid smiled. "'Course, I asked Professor Lupin if he saw anyone in the forest with him, but he said he had no answers for me. It's too bad he's leavin'"

"What?" came a five part chorus, as Harry, Ginny, Hermione, Ron and Amity stared at Hagrid. "Why?"

"Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "He resigned. Said something about failin' his job, or somethin'"

Harry scrambled to his feet. "I'm going to see him," he said to the group.

"But if he's resigned —"

" — doesn't sound like there's anything we can do —"

"- he was such a good teacher..."

"I was hoping to be able to face a boggart with him next year,"

"I don't care. I still want to see him. I'll meet you back here. Skaz, up."

Skazzy sighed as she got up and followed her brother, although she was still troubled over the fact that last night had not in fact been a dream, and for some reason she had been given a camera. And talked to a crazy girl. Life was weird.

Lupin's office door was open. He had already packed most of his things. The Grindylow's empty tank stood next to his battered old suitcase, which was open and nearly full. Lupin was bending over something on his desk and looked up only when Harry knocked on the door.

"Oh, hello Harry, Skazzy," Lupin said, smiling faintly.

"I just saw Hagrid," said Harry. "And he said you'd resigned. It's not true, is it?"

"I'm afraid it is," said Lupin. He started opening his desk drawers and taking out the contents.

"Why?" said Harry.

"It occurred to me that I haven't been very good influence on some of you. Skazzy has been right, and I was more concerned with myself than I was with the protection of my students. I should have told Dumbledore about Sirius Black's animagus form, and the tunnels. I didn't want to let Professor Dumbledore down since he bent the rules all those years back to let me come here," Lupin said.

"Well, now you don't have to worry about that happening again. Sirius is going to get a trial, and hopefully be cleared of everything..." Harry started.

"Hold up, what? I thought you five were in the hospital wing," Lupin said.

"We escaped. Why?" Skazzy asked.

"Well, I thought they would have gotten rid of the Imperius curse Black has had you under for the last year..."

"Can I go now?" Skazzy asked her brother. He sighed and shook his head.

"No spell, professor. He really is innocent. Swear. We saw Peter Pettigrew, it was Ron's pet rat. Been in his family for twelve years, and Sirius saw the picture of it in the Daily Prophet, and then decided to make sure Skaz didn't do anything else stupid. Well, tried," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

"I still maintain that you have done more dangerous things than me," Skazzy defended herself.

"You've almost died more times," Harry shot back.

"Only twice. And you could have died," Skazzy folded her arms across herself.

"Wait, so you weren't under the Imperius this year," Lupin asked. Harry and Skazzy shook their heads.

* * *

Remus Lupin stared at the two kids in front of him. "So, you've been acting normal this year?"

"Pretty much, yeah. I mean, give or take some times I was sleeping, and a few weeks around Christmas. But in general, this is me," Phoenix said, sharing a confused look with her brother.

"I...I thought...I thought he had put you under the Imperius and made you act the way you did to me," Remus whispered, as he realized that his entire world had turned upside down.

"Nope, all me," Phoenix said, shrugging.

"If it makes you feel better, Sirius did tell her that she should be nicer to you. And that she shouldn't have viciously attacked you with a chair leg," Harry said, trying to be helpful.

"I didn't attack a professor with a chair leg," Phoenix said, staring at her brother in confusion. Remus felt a little better at this, knowing she hadn't attacked him because of who he was.

"Amity said she told you the professor was a werewolf..." Harry started.

"And I said I was denying that story. Self-defense," Phoenix said, crossing her arms and sticking her head in the air.

"So you did know?"

"She did. If it makes you feel better, she attack a professor last year too," Harry added unhelpfully.

"Surprisingly, it doesn't," Remus said bitterly, returning to packing up.

"You're the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we've ever had!" Harry changed the subject. "Don't go!"

"Oww, what?" Phoenix cried, nursing her arm and glaring at her brother. "Was I suppose to say something?"

Remus shook his head, feeling sad. "I heard you managed a patronus, Harry."

"How d'you know about that?" said Harry, distracted by his sister.

"What else could have driven the Dementors back? I saw the Dementors last night."

Harry told Remus what had happened, while Phoenix just stared around the room, bored. When he'd finished, Remus gave him a forlorn smile.

"Yes, your father was always a stag when he transformed," he said.

Remus threw his last few books into his case, closed the desk drawers, and turned to look at Harry and Phoenix. "I would give you the map back, but I gave it to Dumbledore. I figured it was better for him to have it for security of Hogwarts."

Harry frowned while Phoenix scowled.

"I suppose you have a point," Harry said slowly.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it," Phoenix muttered.

"I have no hesitation in saying that James would have been highly disappointed if his children had never found any of the secret passages out of the castle. So he would have been happy you had it even briefly," Remus said, turning away from the two students who looked so much like his dead friends. He didn't want them to see him lose it.

There was a knock on the door.

It was Professor Dumbledore. He didn't look surprised to see Harry or Phoenix there. "Your carriage is at the gates, Remus," he said.

"Thank You, Headmaster. May I have a quick word with Skazzy?"

Dumbledore nodded, and Harry followed him out of the room. Phoenix watched them leave, before turning to Remus with guarded eyes.

Remus picked up his old suitcase and the empty Grindylow tank.

"I'm, well, I'm your..."

"Godfather, and never bothered to show up once in twelve years. Sirius mentioned it," Phoenix said, dismissively.

"I thought it would be better if I wasn't intruding on your life. I'd like for us to start over. Is there any way I can fix our relationship so that it isn't hostile like this? Just get you to treat me like Harry does?" Remus asked, frustrated.

"No. There's nothing you can do."

With that Phoenix walked out the door without a backwards glance.

Remus waited until he was in his carriage on his way back before letting the tears fall from his face. He had screwed up. Well, he suppose he should probably find Sirius at some point and apologize for all the bad things he thought. Maybe he could keep one friend. Maybe.

* * *

Harry turned to Skazzy after the two professors left.

"What did you do?" Harry asked, rounding on his sister.

"Nothing. I told him the truth," Skazzy said. "He wanted to know if I could forgive him and I said no."

Harry watched his sister for a few minutes. "You don't forgive, do you?"

"Not when the mistakes are as big as the ones he made," Skazzy responded. "He had twelve years to come see us and he didn't. Not once. Sirius, I'll give him an exception given that escaping Azkaban is apparently a lot of work. Pettigrew, well, who cares about him? He was a terrible person."

Harry suddenly froze. Skazzy frowned.

"Oi, what's up?"

"Trelawny, she made a prediction during my exam. She said Voldemort's servant was going to set out to return to him before midnight... She said the servant would help him come back to power. And then she made another strange one about a phoenix. What was it, 'The phoenix cycles continuously; destruction, death and rebirth. Only once it is broken shall the chosen one be able to fight. First the phoenix must break Time before the chosen one can fight. No battle will occur until after the broken cycle'. Any idea what that could mean?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. I'm not taking Divination," Harry went to punch Skazzy in the arm and she dodged, laughing. The two of them ran back outside to their friends, to wait with them until they learned the outcome of Sirius' trial. Amity received a letter, and they went to the entrance hall to meet her mother.

Amity's mother smiled, handing the camera back to Skazzy.

"Innocent," she said, and Sirius entered the door. Ginny was very confused, especially when everyone else went to surround him and started talking all at once. Amity broke away and slung an arm around her.

"Next year, if I get pulled into one of their messes, I'm taking you with me," she promised. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"That sounded like a threat," she said. Amity smiled.

"Well, if I have to be threatened, so do you," she teased, before explaining everything to her.

Professor Dumbledore appeared before they were done asking about the trial. "May I have a word with Sirius, Harry and Phoenix?"

Everyone nodded, except for Skazzy who was scowling at her name.

"Let's retire to my office then," Dumbledore said, turning around and leading the way. They entered his office, and Skazzy noticed his phoenix sitting on a stand.

"So, Sirius asked me if he could take care of you, if you two wanted," Dumbledore began.

"Yes," Harry said immediately.

"What ever he's doing," Skazzy pointed to her brother. Dumbledore sighed, looking older and wearier.

"Yes, well. I'm afraid you have to go back to your Aunt's house. There are protections there that cannot be moved and are important for your safety. He may visit you occasionally, but you must spend at least a month there to recharge the protection."

Harry and Skazzy stared at him. Skazzy narrowed her eyes and glared at the floor while Harry asked the question. "But why?"

"Your mother's blood. It is a very powerful sacrifice and requires you to live with someone who shares the blood..." Dumbledore began.

"I'm his sister, I share our mother's blood," Skazzy cut in. Dumbledore shook his head.

"At the time the wards were placed, you were not old enough to accept Harry into a house to protect him. The acceptance of someone sharing his mother's blood was important. Now it is too late to recreate the ward," Dumbledore finished.

"So, we have to go back to the Dursley's," Harry said after a minute, Sirius resting a hand on both children.

"I'm afraid so. However, as I said, you do not need to spend all summer there. You will be able to leave after a month to join Sirius if you so chose."

And that was the end of the meeting. Sirius stayed behind to talk to Dumbledore about adding protections to a property to prepare it for them after their month at the Dursleys. The two Potters were upset, with Harry explaining to everyone while Skazzy just glared at the floor.

"That's too bad, but at least you get to leave after a month!" Hermione tried to cheer them up. Harry gave a half smile and Skazzy just scowled. Everyone decided to just leave her alone.

At dinner there was a flood of owls for a special delivery of the Prophet explaining Sirius Black's innocence, and the move to investigate why such a horrible thing as an innocent man spending twelve years in Azkaban could happen.

"I take it you five have something to do with this?" Heidi had come over from the Hufflepuff table. Amity gave a nervous laugh, explaining how she had run into her yesterday. Skazzy nodded. Heidi shook her head. "You've had more adventures at Hogwarts than I thought possible."

* * *

The quill made its last entry for the school year. Simple, quick and easy.

Happened:

Sirius Black is freed.

Should:

Sirius Black goes on the run with the hippogriff Buckbeak.

The younger Unspeakable looked at the two entries, frowning. "Why are we so sure that the other timeline is better?"

"We don't know that it's better, we know that it is the right one. Sometimes, good things don't happen to people. And if we allow this timeline to continue, everything will come undone. Sirius Black needs to go on the run. Maybe he'll be freed later."

* * *

Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid had found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that he and his father had been outwitted by a gamekeeper. He was also pale, after learning what had happened to Macnair. Apparently Macnair had been friends with the Malfoy's.

Though the weather was perfect, though the atmosphere was so cheerful, Skazzy had never approached the end of a school year in worse spirits. Granted, last year she was a little high from a combination of potions and adrenaline from the basilisk encounter. Harry was sad to see Professor Lupin go.

He certainly wasn't the only one who was sorry to see Professor Lupin go. The whole of Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts class was miserable about his resignation, as well as Skazzy's classmates.

It wasn't only Professor Lupin's departure that was weighing on Harry's mind. He couldn't help thinking a lot about Professor Trelawney's prediction. He kept wondering where Pettigrew was now, whether he had sought sanctuary with Voldemort yet. But the thing that was lowering Harry's spirits most of all was, like Skazzy, the prospect of returning to the Dursleys.

The exam results came out on the last day of term. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had passed every subject. As did Ginny, Luna, Amity and Skazzy. Harry was surprised he had passed potions, but Skazzy pointed out that if Harry failed, then Dumbledore would probably actually examine the other grades and discover that Malfoy's cronies were passing, and Snape would get in trouble for doctoring the exams.

Percy had got his top-grade N.E.W.T.s; Fred and George had scraped a handful of O.W.L.s each. Gryffindor House, meanwhile, largely thanks to their spectacular performance in the Quidditch Cup, had won the House championship for the third year running. This meant that the end of term feast took place amid decorations of scarlet and gold, and that the Gryffindor table was the noisiest of the lot, as everybody celebrated. Even Harry managed to forget about the journey back to the Dursleys the next day as he ate, drank, talked, and laughed with the rest.

Amity and Skazzy sat at the Hufflepuff table as they were supposed to given that it was the last feast of the year. Amity was trying to cheer Skazzy up about everything, but Skazzy wasn't paying much attention. She was too busy hating Dumbledore for forcing them to return to the Dursley's house despite the fact that they had another option. Amity finally just shook her head, forced Skazzy to eat something, and talked with some of the other Hufflepuffs at the table.

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station the next morning, Ginny and Amity were chatting about the different subjects they would be taking.

"I'm planning on taking Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy," Amity was telling Ginny.

"I'm planning on taking Care of Magical Creatures as well. But I thought I'd also take Muggle Studies, to learn what my dad's talking about," Ginny said, turning to Skazzy who wasn't paying attention.

"She's taking Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. Figured it was the only classes she wouldn't die in," Amity said, catching Ginny's gaze.

"She'll have Ancient Runes with Luna then," Ginny said. Amity sighed.

"I was a bit worried that there'd be no one for her in the class," she admitted to Ginny. "That's a relief."

Hermione decided to join in the conversation about classes. "I went to see Professor McGonagall this morning, just before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."

"But you passed your exam with three hundred and twenty percent!" said Ron.

"I know," sighed Hermione, "but I can't stand another year like this one. That Time-Turner, it was driving me mad. I've handed it in. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I'll be able to have a normal schedule again. That, and I'm a little worried about what Mrs. Fear said that night, about misusing magical artifacts."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about it," said Ron grumpily. "We're supposed to be your friends."

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," said Hermione severely. She looked around at Harry and Skazzy, who were watching Hogwarts disappear from view behind a mountain. Two whole months before they'd see it again...

"Oh, cheer up, Harry, Skazzy!" said Hermione sadly.

"I'm okay," said Harry quickly. "Just thinking about the holidays."

"No," Skazzy said, leaning over after her brother elbowed her in the stomach. "Ow."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about them too," said Ron.

"It's the Quidditch World Cup this summer! How about it, Harry? We'll go and see it! Dad can usually get tickets from work."

This proposal had the effect of cheering Harry up a great deal. So it was only Skazzy who was in a bad mood, watching as Harry, Hermione, Ron, Amity and Ginny played Exploding Snap. Eventually Skazzy noticed that a small owl appeared to be attempting to get in the window. She opened it, and it flew around her and Harry.

"What is that?" Ron asked, looking at the tiny owl.

"A letter from Sirius. Says he's looking forward to picking us up on my birthday to get us out of there. Oh, and look. He signed permission forms for us to go to Hogsmeade, Skaz!" Harry said, holding the permission forms.

"Great! Now all of us can go!" Amity cheered. Skazzy had to smile at that. It would be nice to explore the place without needing to worry about whether or not she was bumping into someone.

"Hang on, there's a PS..." Harry said, looking back at the letter.

 _I thought your friend Ron might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat._

Ron's eyes widened. The minute owl was still hooting excitedly. "Keep him?" he said uncertainly. He looked closely at the owl for a moment; then, to everyone's great surprise, he held him out for Crookshanks to sniff.

"What do you reckon?" Ron asked the cat. "Definitely an owl?" Crookshanks purred. "That's good enough for me," said Ron happily. "He's mine."

Harry and Skazzy spotted Uncle Vernon at once. He was standing a good distance from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, eyeing them suspiciously, and when Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry in greeting, his worst suspicions about them seemed confirmed. Skazzy just glared icily at him, and he stopped looking at them.

"I'll call about the World Cup!" Ron yelled after Harry and Skazzy as they bid him, Amity, Ginny, and Hermione good-bye, then wheeled the trolleys bearing their trunks and Hedwig's cage toward Uncle Vernon, who greeted them in his usual fashion.

"What's that?" he snarled, staring at the envelope Harry had in his hand. "If it's another form for me to sign, you've got another..."

"It's not," said Harry cheerfully. "It's a letter from my godfather."

"Godfather?" sputtered Uncle Vernon. "You haven't got a godfather!"

"Yes, I have, and so does Skazzy," said Harry brightly. "They were my mum and dad's best friends. My godfather was innocent and locked up in prison, but now he's free. In fact, we're going to spend the last month of vacation with him. Now Skazzy's is a werewolf. Both of them are going to be checking in on us to make sure we're okay."

And, grinning broadly at the look of horror on Uncle Vernon's face, Harry and Skazzy set off toward the station exit, Hedwig rattling along in front of them.

"Do you think we could invite my godfather over for the full moon?" Skazzy asked Harry in front of Uncle Vernon, enjoying the pale look on his face. Harry just laughed. When Harry wasn't looking, Skazzy shot Uncle Vernon a vicious grin.

"Death by werewolf...wouldn't that be lovely?" she whispered to him. He turned even paler, looking around and trying to find some way to get away from her. "I'm sure I can figure out something else if that doesn't work."

After all, she did tell Harry she would take care of it. She might not be able to right now, but she would eventually. And making him scared was the best way to start.

* * *

A girl with sparkly skin, and her hair covering the left side of her face smiled.

"Oh yes. You'll have a fun summer indeed."

She disappeared from her hiding place, appearing at Hogwarts, in the Headmaster's office. She looked throughout the room, careful to touch nothing. Eventually she found it. She gently picked up the Marauder's Map, and smiled to herself.

"I know who needs this."

And she disappeared, a cold smile on her face and an empty look in her visible eye.

* * *

Next Book:

Phoenix Flying:

Phoenix is now a third year, and is forced to watch as her brother takes part in a dangerous tournament against his will. Someone is out to get him, and she doesn't know who. The instinct that awoke last year to protect her brother has only become stronger. Meanwhile, the Unspeakables have the history of the players, but still don't know what the origin point is.


End file.
